


Whale Tales

by kiebs



Series: Whale Tales [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Coast guard Rin, Eventual Romance, Haru is ace, Merman Nanase Haruka, Merman Tachibana Makoto, Merman Yamazaki Sousuke, Multi, Slow Burn, eventual polyamory, merman au, ships tagged to gauge reaction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-03-26 09:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 44,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3846658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiebs/pseuds/kiebs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all began with a storm that totaled a boat. And overly friendly mermen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So it's been a while since I posted a story and I've had this sitting around for a bit, so I decided, "Hey, why not post it?" So here's my rendition of everyone's favorite--the mermaid au. (Also an experiment with posting something that is from my OC's point of view. ;;)
> 
> Edit: Check out my tumblr (kiebs.tumblr.com/tagged/whale-tales) for little doodles and things. ;w;

People kept telling her she was crazy. That she shouldn't force herself to go back to work after such a traumatic experience, but, to Tohru, she couldn't be away from the ocean. She was honestly more worried about Rin. He was the one who had a traumatic experience as a child, considering the storm that had taken his father. However, her childhood friend only rolled his eyes when she voiced her concerns, telling her there was nothing to worry about. He had long come to terms with his father's death, at least that's what he kept telling her.

"Besides," Rin had said, flipping through a boating magazine, "I don't charge you to use my boat. The insurance company said I'll have my new boat within the month, so as soon as I get that, we won't have to bum one from my work."

It was with much reluctance that Tohru accepted that, burying herself in her work at the aquarium. She rather enjoyed the job, being able to work with so many fascinating creatures and even teaching random school groups about certain exhibits. It was like having her own personal ocean, her favorite exhibit being the whale sharks. (Partly a lie, as her favorite exhibits were any with stingrays, but she had always dreamed of working at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium and it was one of like seven aquariums in the world that had tanks large enough for whale sharks.) Enchanting as it was, though, Tohru still loved being out at sea.

There was something about the salty air and being able to see the sea life in their natural habitats that was captivating and calming. It almost reminded her of being a child, growing up on the coast and being three stops away from a usable beach. She, Rin, and Rin's sister Gou had spent countless days on the beach, swimming and collecting shells and other interesting things. Most of their summers had been on the beach so if anyone knew the dangers and allure of the ocean, it was Tohru and Rin.

Tohru stood at the end of the dock, one month after the storm, and stared in open amazement at Rin's new boat. Her childhood friend stood next to her in all his gloating glory, hands on his hips and chest puffed out. It was a nice boat and much larger the last one, the one that had been too damaged from the storm for any conceivable saving. Like the last one, though, the name _The Shark_ was emblazoned in red letters on the side, a rather ferocious looking shark head lunging at the K.

"Insurance company did good," Tohru remarked, raising her eyebrow. She turned to Rin, who seemed only to preen more at the comment.

"Isn't she a beauty? The stern is even almost open-backed so you can dive more easily," he said, pointing towards the back end of the boat. The railing did appear to be lower than normal. "We can go whenever you're ready."

Tohru laughed. "You know me too well, Rin. My gear’s all in the car."

Rin gave her a pointy grin, red-eyes dancing. "Let's go already!"

***

Even though Tohru had repeatedly told everyone that being at sea wouldn't bother her, she still couldn't help remembering the storm. But it was less with fear and more with careful contemplation. Because there was something she remembered, something that she couldn't quite trust herself to believe.

She, of course, remembered the day vividly, the clouds suddenly darkening around the time she and Rin were returning to dock. The waves had been huge, growing with each gale. Rin's old ship hadn't been the largest of vessels, but both of them had been certain that it could withstand such a storm. It had weathered much worse before. Except this time, the boat had crashed against the very rocks Tohru had been scouring for marine life earlier that day.

The next moments had been too fast, almost unclear. Tohru had stumbled outside to check the damage, Rin a couple steps behind her, and something, probably a wave, had dislodged the boat…and subsequently had thrown them overboard. That had been the first time Tohru truly feared the ocean, feeling the water close in around her, currents tugging her as she fought, fought, fought to get to the surface. The salinity stung her eyes, but she had seen something coming towards her before the black spots dancing across her vision had blinded her completely.

The next thing she remembered, she had been gasping for breath, rain pelting her face as _something_ pulled (pushed?) her towards the dock. She remembered clinging to something that had felt _warm_ , her eyes having a hard time focusing. All she had been able to see had been black and tan before her vision went out again. When she came to next, she had been on the dock and staring at a sight that couldn’t be true.

Tohru rubbed her face, forcing herself back to the present. Sometimes she really wondered if that day had happened. It didn't seem like it. Not if what she remembered what she saw. Of course, when she looked down at the remarkably clean deck of Rin's shiny new boat, the sight forced her to accept that that day actually had happened. Then that meant…unless she had just hallucinated…

The boat came to a slow stop, a splash indicating the anchor being lowered. Tohru stood, balancing as she adjusted to the gentle rock of the waves. She tried to ignore how her heart thudded, the long scratches on the nearby rocks looking all too familiar.

"I hope you don't mind." Tohru jumped a little, looking behind her. Rin was setting up something that looking like a radio next to the door of the cabin. "I mean, you were working here when the storm happened…"

"It's fine." She smiled despite the thudding in her chest. She eyed the sound system he was setting up. "…I'm going to get into my wetsuit."

"You do that," Rin said as she walked past him, focused on whatever he was doing. "I'm just going to set this up…"

"Oh boy…" she muttered, closing the door behind her for as much privacy as possible. It wasn't like she and Rin _hadn't_ seen each other naked before. Growing up together had left many incidents and contrary to the sly grins they got from mutual friends and coworkers, none of those times had been because of attraction.

Tohru huffed, tugging on her bathing suit before the full body wetsuit. She couldn't think of Rin that way. Sure, she would objectively agree he was attractive, but he wasn't attractive to her. Maybe she had spent too much time with him and his charm had worn off way before it even had a chance to develop. Whatever the reason, she felt no tug to him. At least nothing more than friendship, annoying as he was.

Shaking her head, she pulled on the wetsuit and pulled up the zipper with the extra-long lanyard. Such thoughts were meant for break times or not all. She didn't want to consider the "what if's" of dating Rin. Not that she could really think of any and any she did think of made her shiver. It was too much like dating her brother and like hell was she into that kind of thing. Besides, Rin barely fit into what she found attractive: tall and muscular. He just…was missing something. But really, Tohru didn't want to think about that so she shoved the thoughts away and stalked out of the cabin.

As soon as she stepped foot back into the sunshine, music flooded from the speakers. Rolling her eyes, Tohru headed over to where her gear was stored. She paused, though, just a step, as she listened to the lyrics of the song.

_Can't swim so I took a boat_

_To an island so remote…_

"Hey, Rin. What's this song again?" One would think that by now Tohru would have learned the songs on Rin's playlist but alas she usually didn't pay much attention until Rin pulled her into a duet.

"Mermaid by Train," Rin called from behind her.

Tohru hummed, frowning thoughtfully. She knelt down next to the deck box. Rin would probably think she was crazy, but…but what if… Huffing a sigh, the marine biologist drummed her fingers on the box. "Rin. About the storm…"

"What about it?" His voice was gruff, like he was trying to keep it from wobbling.

"Do you…remember how…we got to the dock?" Tohru turned towards him, watching his back.

Rin rubbed his neck. "Hell, if I know…the waves?"

"Rin, you saw them too."

His shoulders stiffened. "Saw what? We were both dizzy after what happened, Tohru."

" _Rin_. You and I both know that's bull shit." She needed him to agree with her, needed him to be on her side with this. Because she hadn't imagined it. She couldn't have. "We were saved by—."

"By nothing!" Rin's voice sounded high, strained. "It…maybe we just saw…dolphins or something…"

"There are no recorded dolphins with those markings," Tohru argued. She took a breath. "Those had to be mermaids. Or maybe mermen, that saved us."

Rin groaned, covering his ears. "Mermaids don't exist!"

Desperation and anger tingled down her arms, but before Tohru could snap back, before she could even move, the boat rocked in a weird way and a voice came from behind her.

"So you _do_ remember!"

Whipping around, Tohru startled backwards with a shout at a ridiculously handsome face. Messy, wet hair hung into his bright green eyes and there was a smile on his face, but she was drawn to the black markings on his cheeks that went down his neck and over his shoulders and all the way down his arms to where what she could only call _fins_ were protruding from his (rather muscular) forearms. Dragging her eyes back to his face, Tohru realized that where his ears should be were something more like fins.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. This…couldn't be real. The creature in front of her couldn't be real. But she remembered the storm and the flashes of black and tan and Tohru made a strangled noise, almost like a high pitched squeak. The creature (man?) in front of her looked at her in concern, but his eyes darted up towards something behind her.

Tohru didn't even know Rin had turned or came near her until she heard him exhale, "Holy fucking shit."

It was then that the merman— _because he was definitely a merman—_ was dragged down. He fell into the water with a large splash, almost covering up a much deeper voice.

"God damn it, Makoto. Stop being so friendly."

And then there was nothing.

Tohru sat frozen, staring at the spot the merman (Makoto?) had been braced on the back of the boat. That had actually happened. There had actually been a merman in front of her. Her mind was swirling.

Rin touched her shoulder and she turned to him, maybe to say something, she wasn't sure, but then there was _another_ splash.

Whipping forward, the two friends gaped at yet another merman braced himself on the back of the boat. This one was slighter than the first, though it was clear he was also well muscled. His black hair fell into his eyes, which were a ridiculous shade of blue, and the markings on his face were gray.

"We won't do anything," he said and his voice was different than the one that had cursed the other merman. Did that mean…?

"My head hurts," Rin groaned, sinking down behind Tohru.

She could only nod dumbly, staring at that impassive face in wonder. Mermen existed.

Holy shit.

The merman continued looking at them impassively, dark blue eyes half-lidded as he watched them. Tohru wondered if she was dreaming. Or maybe she and Rin were dead and they actually hadn't survived the storm. But the grip Rin had on her shoulder was painful and she had banged her elbow against the deck box causing jolts of pain to shoot up her arm. So this…this couldn't be a dream and the afterlife wouldn't _hurt_ would it?

It was just so surreal, seeing a merman watching them lazily, and the more he stared, the more curious Tohru became. This was a discovery of a lifetime. If she talked to them…if she documented their habits and learned about their culture, then…then what? Some part of her knew that she could never post her findings if she ever recorded anything, but she still wanted to know. She inched forward, wincing at the tightness of Rin's grip.

"Um…h-hello," she said cautiously. The merman just blinked at her. "Uh…I-I'm…Terazuka Tohru. N-Nice to meet you."

The merman blinked again, blue eyes unnerving in their intensity. Tohru shivered. It felt like her soul was being examined, like this creature could see all her fears and sins. She wanted to hide or at least avert her eyes, but she felt stuck by those intent depths. She wondered if Rin was suffering the same thing.

And then those blue eyes widened as the merman was tugged down. The following splash snapped the two humans out of their trance. Rin grabbed Tohru's shoulders, turning her towards himself. He looked worried and a little angry, but Tohru had long since learned that that was his fearful face. At least, since he returned from Australia.

"Let's get out of here," he hissed, glancing towards the ocean.

"B-But Rin!" Tohru gasped, grabbing his shirt. " _Real life mermen_!"

"We are tripping balls," Rin growled, squeezing his eyes shut before glaring at her. "This…This isn't happening."

"The pain in my shoulders disagree," she hissed, wincing as he squeezed.

Immediately Rin released her, looking a little stricken. He still sat close to her, though, eyes darting between her defiant expression and the back of the boat. The tenseness in his body belayed how nervous he was, probably waiting for that third merman to make an appearance. Honestly, Tohru herself was curious, but she was more so curious about _everything_ about the mermen. She wanted to know all about them, even though she could feel her heart still beating a drumline against her ribcage.

It seemed like forever before Rin finally moved, slowly standing. He leaned forward cautiously, squinting at the water, before he leaned down to give Tohru a hand up. She almost didn't accept it, wanting to inch closer to the edge of the boat, but Rin was a stubborn jerk and all but pulled her to her feet. He still kept throwing glances over his shoulder at the water, but he was now facing the cabin.

"Let's go," he said just as a familiar rocking occurred.

For some reason excited, Tohru turned to find that same merman from before, the one with warm green eyes and messy golden brown hair. Despite being surprised before and feeling like her soul had been on display just moments ago, she felt herself smile. Rin kept a hold on her arm, but Tohru couldn't help taking a step forward, forcing him to bend down with her so she could be more level with the merman.

Said creature smiled apologetically, tilting his head to the side. It was so cute and reminded Tohru ridiculously of a puppy.

"Sorry about before," he said and his voice, she now noticed, was light and a little musical. "I'm Makoto, by the way."

Rin breathed, "Holy shit" at the same time his grip loosened. Tohru used this to her advantage, moving closer to the merman despite Rin's hiss of her name.

"It's nice to meet you, Makoto-san. I'm Terazuka Tohru," she greeted, smiling warmly. She almost reached out to touch his arm, but she figured that might be a little rude.

"Tohru…" Makoto murmured, sounding out her name, and for some reason, she enjoyed the way he said it. "It's a nice name."

She smiled wider. "Thank you."

"It fits such a cute girl," the merman continued, smiling innocently. He even tilted his head to the side again for added injury.

Tohru felt her cheeks burn, stunned at the fact that this merman, who didn't even know her, had called her cute. Outside of her family and Rin, _no_ one had ever called her cute. And Rin had always been joking, seeing as she always had a deadpan due to her best friend's antics.

She felt her stomach buzz and she covered her face, trying to understand what was going on with her. This had never happened before! Sure, she wasn't exactly someone you would call "cute" or anything, seeing as she was so muscular from swimming and lugging equipment around her workplace, but she didn't think she would become so shy if someone ever did! She didn't know who was more surprised: her or the merman.

"Are you _blushing_?" Rin sounded horrified and Tohru wanted to punch him, especially more so when he said, "Congrats, Makoto. You did the impossible."

"I-Is she okay? I didn't mean to offend her or—!"

Another, deeper voice abruptly cut him off. "Makoto…"

It was that deep voice again and it sounded exasperated. There were splashing noises and the boat rocked a little. Makoto yelped.

"Don't pull me down again, Sousuke!" he whined and Tohru peeked through her fingers just in time to see the third and last merman pull himself up next to Makoto.

Tohru's mouth dropped. If Makoto was Paris, this guy was fucking Adonis. Even with the gray markings with white spots that covered his arms and cheeks, it was hard to deny that this third merman was attractive. Her eyes roved over both him and Makoto, taking in the way they almost crowded the short rail. She had thought Rin was broad but these two definitely gave him a run for his money, especially the spotted merman. The way their muscles bulged as they braced themselves against the boat gave Tohru an extreme appreciation for Gou and her muscle fetish. Because she was sure either of them could lift her with one arm.

She had been too busy ogling them to realize that the newest merman (Makoto had called him Sousuke?) was now staring at her. Her cheeks reddened again, more so out of embarrassment this time, and it was hard holding his gaze. He had a similar piercing gaze to the other merman, the one who never told her his name, but this one's gaze was a bright teal, almost like the very waters they were in, and seemed almost challenging instead of soul searching. That intrigued her, making her wonder if merfolk had a pack mentality or hierarchy. Which would be very interesting especially when she realized just what those spots on his arms reminded her of.

"Whale shark!" she blurted before she could stop herself, mind immediately going to the three large creatures she helped take care of.

The spotted merman lifted an eyebrow. "And?"

Tohru blushed again. "Ah. No, I, um, just…y-you're spots reminded me of a whale shark…"

"I do have a whale shark tail," he assented, still watching her. His voice made her shiver, as did that intense teal gaze.

"Sousuke, stop scaring her!" Makoto scolded, elbowing the other merman. "Introduce yourself."

Sousuke bared his teeth at the other merman before turning towards Tohru with what she could only call a pout. Nevertheless, with the way his eyebrows sat furrowed over his eyes and the intensity of them, he was still very intimidating. She hoped she didn't look too scared.

"I'm Sousuke," he finally said, throwing a leer at Makoto before looking back at Tohru. "I saved your friend over there from the storm."

That wasn't something she had expected and Tohru looked over her shoulder at Rin to see how he reacted. Seeing his cheeks bright red, though, was another thing she didn't expect. The glare he gave her when he noticed her looking him was much more par for course and she turned back to the mermen with even more questions.

"Ah, I saved you, Tohru," Makoto spoke up, smiling a little sheepishly.

Tohru blushed a little.

"Why?" Rin asked brusquely, his voice much gruffer than normal. Tohru tried very hard not to sigh heavily. That was her childhood friend's usual response to when he was embarrassed: make his voice lower and more "manly". He was such a boy sometimes.

Makoto looked confused. "'Why'? Because you would have died! Humans can't breathe underwater."

"Unless you wanted to die," Sousuke chimed in a little grimly. Makoto elbowed him again.

"Sousuke!"

"This is why you shouldn't bring Spot places." The voice came from somewhere to Makoto's left and Tohru perked up, recognizing the voice. So the second merman was still around.

Sousuke scowled, craning his neck around Makoto. "Like you're _not_ a wet blanket, Haruka?"

The second merman, Haruka, hefted himself up next to Makoto, eyes narrowed at Sousuke. "Don't add -ka."

"Sousuke, Haru, please don't fight!" Makoto pleaded, looking between the two. "Not in front of the humans!"

"We wouldn't _be_ in front of humans if you hadn't jumped onto their boat," Sousuke grumbled, turning his gaze to the brunet, who cringed at the glare.

"I just wanted to make sure they were okay," he mumbled, pouting at the other merman. "They were gone for a whole moon cycle!"

Sousuke made an annoyed noise, covering his face. Haruka (Haru?) looked just as exasperated with the brunet, though he simply sighed and shook his head. It seemed like the three had forgotten about them, despite the argument involving their welfare. Tohru couldn't help watching the interaction with fascination. It was so familiar, the bickering, because it was the same that she and the Matsuokas had done for years. The three mermen must have known each other for a long time, probably even grown up together.

Of course, as amusing and heartwarming as that thought was, Tohru couldn't help reaching out and gently touching one of the fins on Makoto's forearms, her curiosity getting the better of her. He jumped, surprising the other two, but the marine biologist was too amazed by the difference in texture between the black and tan of his skin to notice.

The black flesh reminded her of the dolphins that she and Nagisa had swum with a couple years ago. It had the same smooth feel, a little texturally different from the tan skin which felt exactly like her own skin when wet. She was so fascinated by it, marveling at the lack of hair and the fin-like protrusion. Feeling it, she would admit it felt a bit like the fluke of dolphin, though she could be wrong. Cetaceans weren't her specialty.

"Tohru, _what are you doing_?" Rin hissed from behind her.

Tohru turned in confusion, still holding Makoto's forearm. She could literally feel herself sparkling. "Science."

Her fellow human gaped at her. His hands were in the middle of what was probably an angry gesticulation, but she honestly couldn't be bothered with that. After all, she had so much to learn about the mermen.

Turning back around, she smiled apologetically at Makoto and finally noticed that his cheeks were quite red. "Ah, sorry. I…didn't mean to get ahead of myself. I'm just so fascinated by you."

She hadn't expected his face to get any redder, but she was proved wrong. Makoto's cheeks, forehead, and his neck too were bright red. With a tiny noise, he slipped his forearm out of her grip and disappeared back into the water with a soft splash. Even though she felt a little disappointed, Tohru couldn't help giggling. That had been such a human response. Mermen were quite similar to humans apparently.

There was another splash and she glanced up, finding Sousuke the only one left on the boat. He wasn't looking at her, though his eyes were trained on the water next to him. He was resting his head in his palm and he lifted his gaze to her, a smirk on his face. Tohru blushed despite herself, only a little embarrassed.

"Curious, aren't you?" Sousuke remarked, making her pout. He chuckled.

"Mermen aren't supposed to exist," she retorted, though she couldn't help reaching out for his offered hand.

Only for it to be snatched from her before she could even lay a fingertip on his skin. Sousuke was tugged down, a large splash covering his curses. Then there was silence to accent Tohru's disappointment.

"Okay. We're leaving. Now."

"RIN!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished my finals today so in celebration here's the new chapter! :D Now that I'm done, hopefully I'll be able to update on a semi-regular (and quick-ish) basis! Also check out my tumblr, kiebs.tumblr.com/tagged/whale-tales, for goodies like doodles and things!

Despite Rin's fervor to leave, Tohru wouldn't let him. She had made him sit and wait with her, his music playing in the background unnoticed as they (or more so she) stared at the water. But other than Rin's eclectic songs and the gentle noises of the ocean and the occasional seabird, there was no sign of the mermen. That didn't slow Rin, of course. As soon as Tohru let him, he was up and heading towards the controls, muttering about hallucinations caused by natural gas and contacting the authorities.

An hour later, though, they were still in the same spot, Tohru having used two favors to keep her childhood friend from leaving. Mythical creatures aside, she did have a job to do and this was where she had left off before the storm hit. So, with Rin hovering like a mother hen, Tohru geared up, checking and double-checking that all her equipment was performing correctly and secured to her person.

"I am regretting not insisting you bring a partner," her friend groused, arms crossed as he watched her.

Tohru rolled her eyes, fixing goggles over them. " _You_ were just as excited as I was to get out on sea."

He clicked his tongue. "Diving safety. Not to mention that those… _things_ are out there."

"Are you talking about the mermen?" She leered up at him. "I think if anything were to happen, Makoto-san would help. I don't know about Haru-san or Sousuke-san, but Makoto-san seemed rather eager."

"Yeah, probably to lull you into a false sense of security!" Rin accused, spreading his arms angrily. He pointed at his mouth. "Did you see his _teeth_?"

"Look who's talking."

"I have a _condition_!" he snapped. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair and scowling. "Don't change the subject."

However, Tohru was already preparing to dive. Wiggling her fingers in a wave, she let herself fall back and entered the water with a splash. There might have been a squawk of protest from Rin, but being underwater garbled the sound so if he did, Tohru wasn't sure. She couldn't let his worry stop her, though. This was her job and having zero access to a boat that wouldn't cost her an arm and a leg for a month really set her back. Her bosses were expecting a detailed report and analysis of the ray population by the end of the year and she wasn't even halfway done. So she was willing to ignore Rin's concerns in favor of doing her job.

Though, being in the open water alone did make her a little nervous. It had been a long time since she had done such a feat. The water was just so vast. It was better than being in open ocean as Tohru could see the sandy bottom and multiple rocky protrusions around her and yet…yet she couldn't help feeling nervous. Like there was something waiting for her, the memory of the storm clawing at the edges of her mind. But she refused to let herself panic, pushing on as she swam through the water.

If she remembered correctly, there were a few large stingrays that lived by the rocks…but being a month since she last saw them, she wasn't sure if they were still there. It wouldn't hurt to look, which she did, scoping close to the rocks in hope of finding the animals. The ones she had encountered before weren't there, which really wasn't that great of a surprise, but there was plenty of sand to scour and she found a smaller ray a little farther down so the dive wasn't a complete loss. And to her, it never was, as she always enjoyed how it felt to be immersed underwater. There was such an otherworldly feel down here.

It was as she was ruminating this, enraptured by being underwater, that she first noticed a sudden lack of fish. Usually when diving, most sea life would scatter before slowly coming out and just mingling with her. But this lack of fish unnerved her. Sure, she could see some glittering in the distance, but around her, there was only water. It even felt still, in the way it felt still when a predator was around. One large enough to freak out the wildlife and make it hide…

Fearful, hoping she wasn't about to be attacked, Tohru glanced around. She was honestly at a disadvantage. No matter how strong of a swimmer she was, humans were not built to out swim a marine creature. It was as she was coming to terms with her idiocy of having no diving partner that she noticed a weird noise, almost like dolphin clicks, before a strange garbled _voice_ met her ears.

"Eh? Are you Tohru?"

She spun in shock, discovering Makoto swimming curiously around her. It took all her will not to exclaim, keeping her lips firmly around her mouthpiece. She did bob her head in affirmation, confused as to how she could understand him underwater. She couldn't ask him now, though, as much as she wanted to, her eyes following him as he swam closer.

Having the brunet merman swimming by her, Tohru finally noticed his markings. Just basing it on his arms and cheeks, she might have guessed he was a porpoise or something similar. After all, he seemed so sweet and the black flesh did have that waxed wood feel that cetaceans often had. But there was a tall dorsal fin sprouting just below his lower back and that alone alerted her that he was no porpoise. The white oval shape on his hip and a slightly more grayish mark behind his dorsal fin only further proved that, making her heart speed up. There was no mistaking those markings, even if cetaceans weren't her forte.

After all, Tohru had many orca themed merchandise at home. She just hadn't expected someone as sweet as Makoto, short time she knew him or not, to be an orca. As much as she loved the animals, she knew just how clever and vicious they could be. Rin's worry just minutes earlier, the wary "false sense of security", rang in her ears.

"What is she _wearing_?"

Raising her eyes, Tohru found the other two mermen hovering just a few feet behind Makoto. Haru was squinting at her, looking confused, and swam closer, poking at her air tank. Sousuke hung back, crossing his arms at the shared curiosity of Makoto and Haru. Seeing them in their natural environment, Tohru finally realized just how big they actually were. They were still human sized, yes, but Makoto's hands were big as they trailed over her arms, pulling experimentally at her dive suit. Haru was clearly the smallest, but even he was bigger than her, which she found out by him getting right into her face to examine her goggles.

The more the two cetacean mermen (because Haru's tail looked remarkably similar to a dolphin) examined her, the more flustered Tohru became. Now she understood how Makoto felt before and she did feel a little guilty, but she could appreciate how fascinated they were. Because she really wanted to continue looking at the differences between them and her and she wanted to know how they were similar too. Being honest, she just wanted to know all about them. She could just imagine Rin's muttered, "You're giving me a headache."

Actually, she felt a little lightheaded if she thought about it. She had no idea if she was running out of oxygen already or if she was getting dizzy from the two mermen circling her and running their hands over her gear. Whatever the reason, Tohru wasn't going to risk it and began to slowly ascend to the surface. It amused her to see the mermen follow her, even grumpy Sousuke who stayed just behind Makoto.

Slowly, slowly, she rose to the surface, a trick that had long since become habit for her. Even when her heart was thudding in her ears, she managed to keep a steady ascent. After all, she had witnessed as a teenager what could happen if you rose from a dive too quickly. It was one of the things her father had drilled into her head when she got her diving license in high school. And she was proud to say that she had never forgotten it. Having three mermen, three mythical creatures, swimming with her, though, was just a little disconcerting.

Her head finally broke the surface about ten meters from Rin's boat. That was an easy distance for her to swim to, even after a dive. Years of swimming competitively and having a former Olympian as a father had given her that much skill. She just doubted she could make it the distance when she still had mermen around her if Rin's suspicions turned out true. She took out her mouthpiece as Makoto's head popped up next to her shoulder.

"What's with all this?" Sousuke rose in front of her, startling her a little. He held her mouthpiece in confusion.

"Ah…since humans can't breathe underwater, we have wetsuits and air tanks to help us," Tohru explained, pulling her goggles off her eyes. She felt a tug on her back.

"This is…an 'air tank'?" Haru's voice sounded intrigued and the tugging continued.

"Please be careful," Tohru pleaded. She didn't need to explain to her work how a new air tank and wetsuit were damaged on the first day back.

The tugging stopped, at least on her back, but she felt a tug on her foot and suddenly Haru was next to Sousuke, his dark blue eyes sparkling.

"You have fins now!" he said and the flushed cheeks and excited expression looked absolutely precious. Compared to his blank staring earlier, the expression was almost shocking.

Tohru laughed lightly. "They're temporary. They're not actually part of me."

"No?" Haru frowned, but there was still a curious gleam to his eyes. "Humans are adaptive."

"Haru likes collecting human things that fall in the ocean," Makoto explained. He hadn't moved from her shoulder, but his hands were gently running over her arm similar to what she had done to him almost an hour before. "You're wearing a…wetsuit?"

"Yes. Humans have special clothes that we wear for swimming and diving. A wetsuit is used for diving," Tohru said, turning towards him.

His chin rested on the water, eyes lowered towards his hands and her arm. She would say she could pretend he was human, but his fin-like ears were much too hard to ignore. Looking at all of them, the nonhuman features were hard to ignore. Ear-fins and facial markings aside, all three of them had gills on their necks. It fascinated Tohru, considering Makoto and Haru's tails, but she supposed that mammalian tails didn't mean they were completely mammals…right? There were things like lungfish that could breathe air, so mermen with cetacean tails and gills wouldn't be too farfetched.

…who was she kidding? Mermen by themselves were farfetched.

She was so distracted by her contemplation of their biological features that she actually missed whatever Makoto had said. He was looking at her expectantly, his eyes warm and glimmering, and Tohru might have actually forgotten how to speak. Her heart fluttered, which was such an interesting reaction, and she swallowed. Rin's "false sense of security" echoed faintly in her head.

"I-I-I'm sorry. W-What did you say?" she asked, blushing in embarrassment.

Makoto laughed, a warm sound that filled her stomach and didn't help her burning cheeks. His smile wasn't better and she could still feel his fingers running down her arm. She desperately tried to remember if there were such things as male sirens.

"I was wondering why you would come back here," he said, blushing faintly and dropping his eyes. "Isn't it scary?"

The sincerity in his voice shocked her and, again, Tohru couldn't speak. Makoto's eyes were looking off to the side, his mouth now also submerged in water. For someone who had the tail of such a vicious creature, he was ridiculously gentle and sensitive. If she wasn't so wary, mostly due to Rin, she might actually melt at that.

"Well, I have work to complete. I'll be okay," she responded, shrugging as much as she could in water.

Her heart did stutter when she remembered the long scratches on the rocks nearby, but she really couldn't be that picky. If she was honest to herself, another reason she had returned to this specific area had been the mermen. She had wanted to know if she had hallucinated that stormy day and, apparently, she had not. Not that she would actually tell them that, because now that she knew she hadn't been, she was embarrassed that that had been a big part of coming back. (The much smaller part of the reason was that Tohru was stubborn as hell and refused to let fear dictate her life. The ocean was too close to her heart for her to let fear do that to her.)

Tohru wondered how long she had been treading water. Five minutes, maybe? That wasn't so much a problem, considering her athletic past and her current career, but she would rather not tire herself out. Especially not when three mythical creatures, two of which were still currently touching her, had surrounded her.

Or maybe three touching her as she jumped at the hand running down her stomach and tugging at her belt.

"You're awfully calm around us," Sousuke remarked, tugging her towards himself.

Tohru couldn't help the shiver of fear that crept up her spine, eyes widening just a bit. The dark-haired merman was frowning at her, though he didn't look as thunderous as he had when Makoto greeted her and Rin. Still, with his eyebrows heavy and furrowed and eyes just the right amount of hooded to be displeased, Sousuke painted a rather intimidating picture. His fingers remained hooked around her belt, preventing any unexpected movements.

Preventing any escape.

Being best friends with Rin had taught Tohru to be a master of keeping her face blank when all she wanted to do was panic. The feel of Sousuke's knuckles against her abdomen stirred her stomach uneasily. For some reason, even though Makoto was part of a more dangerous animal and Tohru took care of three whale sharks on an almost daily basis, Sousuke frightened her much more than the orca merman. There was something about his posture, his body language, which was much, much more intimidating. It was hardly like the docile creatures she had come to look forward to caring for.

Tohru swallowed uneasily, unsure how to answer him. Other than babbling about familial hierarchy and pack mentality within marine animals. She doubted that would help, _at all_ , but Rin said she had a bad habit of babbling about marine biology when she got nervous. And boy howdy, was she nervous right now. Though, and it was probably Rin's fault, she did have another response to situations like this…

"Would you rather I had screamed? I doubt the coast guard has a protocol for 'assault by merman'."

She kind of hated that her automatic response to something vaguely threatening was to be sarcastic. She severely blamed Rin for that because he could be the only reason she would give someone sass. (Nagisa always laughed when she and her childhood friend got into arguments.) It was going to get her hurt some day and that day looked like today. Tohru winced.

However, instead of a darker leer, a slow grin worked itself onto Sousuke's face. The wry smirk immediately made his face look softer and even more handsome. If that was even possible, because it really _shouldn't_ be, but Tohru's knees became jelly and thank God for his hand on her belt. Otherwise, she would have slipped underwater.

"I didn't realize how fiery you are," Sousuke remarked, giving her belt a playful tug. "It's refreshing."

"I didn't realize mermen knew what fire was." Holy shit, she really needed to shut up.

The whale shark merman's eyes widened a bit before her threw his head back and _laughed._ It was a deep, resonate sound that tickled her ears and made her cheeks flush and holy wow his face really did look amazing laughing. He looked so warm and bright and his face _glowed_ with mirth, making him seem so much friendlier and more approachable.

"Spot likes you."

Tohru might have forgotten about Haru and Makoto, which is ridiculous because Makoto still had a hold on her arm, but when Haru spoke, she actually flinched in surprise. The cetacean merman popped up on her left, eyeing the much larger merman.

In response, Sousuke's laughter died which Tohru immediately found herself mourning, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm not the one trying to steal her air tank, Haruka."

Haru made a weird clicking noise. "Don't call me that."

"Don't call me Spot."

Makoto chuckled, letting his hands drift away from her arm. In a low voice, he said to the marine biologist, "Sousuke and Haru really do like each other."

"No we don't," the two other mermen chimed, leering at each other.

Tohru felt her mouth lift into an amused smile. Next to her, Makoto chuckled again. They really must have spent a lot of time together if they had that level of unison. Especially since, they apparently didn't like each other and all.

"See?" Makoto murmured before gently bumping her shoulder. "Are you tired?"

His expression was friendly and a little concerned. He tilted his head in that puppy-like way and Tohru managed not to melt at the cuteness. She had no idea how such a muscular and masculine creature could appear like a harmless puppy, but he did and she wanted to take him home and coddle him.

She belatedly realized he had asked her another question.

"A-Ah...yeah, I'm a little tired," she admitted, wondering for a frightened moment if she shouldn't have said that.

Memories of reading tales of mermaids with Rin and Gou entered her mind. Tales of beautiful creatures who sang to lure men to their deaths. Creatures that acted friendly but were actually cruel and wanted to feast on the flesh of humans. She remembered that aquatic folklore class Nagisa had convinced her to take with him in college, the one that was riddled with stories of hapless victims lured in by false pretenses of safety. While Tohru had a high level of tolerance for horror, that class and Nagisa's die hard quest to find every mermaid horror movie had put her off the genre for almost a whole year afterwards.

She didn't want to become the tragic protagonist that became the mermaid's meal. But she couldn't exactly move, not with Makoto almost leaning against her and Sousuke still holding her belt. Telling the one who, she noticed fearfully, had the most wicked looking teeth that she was tired was probably not the smartest idea. Not if any of those folktales held any sliver of truth.

"Sousuke, Haru, stop bickering," Makoto instructed, moving to Sousuke's side. Tohru felt him pat the hand clutched around her belt. "We're taking Tohru back to her boat."

"Is she tired?" Haru asked, glancing at her.

"Yes," Makoto said. He smiled softly, returning his gaze to the marine biologist. "Don't worry. We won't let you drown."

Tohru laughed thinly. "I should hope not."

The brunet continued smiling, but he appeared concerned. "Really, there's nothing to be scared about. We won't hurt you. That goes against our code."

Curiosity sparked through her and Tohru let Makoto gently guide her through the water. "Code?"

"Ah… I can explain when we get back to your boat, okay?" That damn smile dazzled her and she had no idea how he could look so inviting when his teeth were like daggers. Then again, even Rin could be charismatic and she had compared his teeth to kitchen knives.

"Makoto, stop enticing her," Sousuke drawled and the brunet flushed.

"I-I'm not!"

"Look at her. She's _sparkling_."

Tohru couldn't even deny that. Because she might actually get some answers. Excitement overrode her fear and she beamed at the cautious glance Makoto gave her.

She absolutely couldn't wait.

***

Despite her earlier fear, Makoto did actually bring Tohru back to Rin's boat. The shock and disbelief on Rin's face when she showed up with an entourage of mythical creatures was more than satisfying, his mouth moving soundlessly as Tohru pulled herself onto _The Shark_. At least he had the frame of mind to help her with her gear, though she found him looking towards where the mermen were lurking under the water just a few feet away. (Which she could tell mostly because of Sousuke's spots.) She snickered under breath, ignoring his sneer when she was finally free of her clunky equipment. Later, she would put it back in its proper place, but right now, she was much too eager to talk to the mermen to really care about that.

Still in her wetsuit, she knelt by the railing, peering excitedly into the water. She felt like a kid on their birthday, waiting for the best present to appear. And it did, Makoto surfacing first and gently bumping his forehead against hers with a grin. Her heart sped up, just a bit, because the action was so friendly, almost intimate, and his eyes crinkled when he smiled at her and she really hoped her face wasn't red. Biting her lip nervously, she offered him a tentative smile. Maybe she would ask them if that was some kind of merman greeting. Or maybe it was just something Makoto did because neither Haru nor Sousuke tried to bump their foreheads against hers when they surfaced. Behind her, Rin made a pained groaning noise before muttering something about spoiled food and psychiatry.

"So about this code..." Tohru began, sitting up eagerly so that the mermen could lean against the railing if they so desired.

Makoto laughed in surprise, easily pulling himself up. Seeing how much of the railing he took up still shocked (read: excited) her, making her realize how small she was in comparison. Her traitorous mind replayed the feel of his hands running over her arms and it took all her willpower not to shiver. Sousuke followed suit, snorting.

"Not to be deterred are you?" the larger of the two remarked before nudging his brunet companion. "Your fault. You explain."

"But—!"

"Your. Fault."

Makoto pouted at Sousuke as the larger merman yawned exaggeratedly. Their exchange, of course, only intrigued Tohru more. Whatever this "code" was, she wanted to know why they would argue like that. Maybe it was like human politics. Or more likely law and it wasn't like her and her friends talked about law over lunch, so she could understand that lack of interest in it. At least, Sousuke's lack of interest. Hers was rather strong.

Sure, she was a biologist, not an anthropologist, but that didn't mean she wasn't fascinated by _everything_ about the creatures before her. She could probably guess on some biological features, but culturally she was batting blind. After all, just because they spoke Japanese didn't mean anything. In her college folklore class, one story had described mermaids as being proficient in all languages. Assuming that was correct, the mermen were only speaking Japanese because _she and Rin_ were speaking Japanese. It was very considerate of the mermen if that was the case.

Briefly, the thought that she was being far too accepting of everything that was happening crossed her mind, but as Nagisa always pointed out to Rei, humans knew more about the moon's surface than the deeps of the ocean. And here she had concrete evidence that mermaids existed. Tohru grinned, changing her position so that she was sitting crossed legged instead of kneeling. She had never thought she'd be privy to something as exciting and wild as the truth to whether mermaids existed or not.

"So, this code?" she prompted again, giggling at the blush that formed on Makoto's cheeks.

The orca merman rubbed his cheek, smiling sheepishly. "Well, simply put, it's a set of laws that all merfolk follow. Like, if we make ourselves known to humans and don't feel threatened, we're honor bound to make sure those humans are not harmed by the ocean. Conversely, if we do feel threatened, that honor is no longer in place."

"So…that's why…" Tohru murmured, pressing her index knuckle to her lips. "Ah, but shouldn't there be a law against letting humans know? I mean, that's how a lot of our stories of mermaids go."

"There is one, but it's not very strict," Makoto admitted, chuckling lightly. "We get scolded, but most humans react how your friend does. They think we're a hallucination."

"Damn right you are!" Rin shouted from somewhere behind the marine biologist.

Tohru rolled her eyes, turning to see just where her childhood friend was. Surprisingly, he actually wasn't in the cabin like she had expected him, instead leaning against the outer wall by his radio. Which she only just realized was still playing music. Her thoughts must have really enthralled her if she hadn't noticed some American crooning some kind of love song. Mermen were more interesting than luck being a lady tonight in her opinion, though.

Sighing at the defiant look on Rin's face, she returned her gaze to the mermen. One day, hopefully very soon, she'd get him to accept the three living pieces of proof in front of her. Until then, though, she would just hoard the mermen to herself. She had to fight down the excited smile from showing on her face, instead biting her lip with a tiny wince.

Makoto still looked sheepish, his chin resting on his crossed forearms, while Sousuke was quietly snickering. Tohru tried to ignore the way her eyes crawled over the curves of their shoulders and forearms. Their _culture_ was important right now. Not their physical structure, no matter how much she wouldn't mind running her hands over their skin to map out how similar their musculature was to humans.

God, she could slap herself right now.

Clearing her throat, Tohru plastered a grin on her face and hoped that the heat on her cheeks was from the sun and not embarrassment. "So, there are no repercussions to showing yourselves to humans?"

"Not if you're us," Sousuke responded, shrugging his (very impressive) shoulders. The marine biologist raised her eyebrows at that.

"What do you mean?" Tohru asked, leaning forward.

"It's because we patrol the boundaries of our town," Makoto explained with a small smile. He rested his chin on his wrist. "We have a little leeway when humans see us."

"Though _usually_ we don't jump onto their boats like a freshly calved whale," Sousuke commented with a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Tohru could actually see how red Makoto's cheeks got and he seemed to deflate, his shoulders hunching protectively around his ear…fin…things. Despite his size, he looked like a kicked puppy, his ashamed gaze averted from Sousuke. The sight pulled at her heart and she placed a hand on his forearm in an attempt to soothe him. It wasn't his fault that he was worried about them. It was actually rather sweet and it's not like showing himself to her and Rin did much harm. Her friend hadn't been willing to talk to _her_ about their experience during the storm. There was no way he would go blabbing it to someone else.

"Hey, it's okay. No harm done, right?" Tohru soothed, gently rubbing the orca merman's arm. She glanced over her shoulder. "We promise not to say anything. Right, Rin?"

"Tripping balls" was the response she got. Not the most helpful, but it would do as an affirmation of silence.

"See? No worries." She smiled softly at Makoto's uncertain face before frowning at Sousuke. "You should be nicer to Makoto-san."

Teal eyes widened in response, a look of shock and disbelief growing on Sousuke's face. Strangely, the expression was satisfying, if only because he didn't look as intimidating when he was slack jawed from shock. It was only made better when an unseen Haru snorted. Still, the moment didn't last and Tohru wished she took a picture to relish this tiny victory. The whale shark merman scowled and clicked his tongue, wrinkling his nose petulantly. As if to prove her wrong, Sousuke crowded into Makoto's space, lazily throwing an arm around the other merman's shoulders and rubbing his cheek against his.

"What are you talking about? I'm _always_ nice to Makoto," he scoffed, going so far as to nuzzle the slightly smaller merman's hair.

It was a very intimate sight, dancing the border between platonic and romantic. If this was skinship, then merfolk seemed much more comfortable expressing it publicly than humans did. Still, Tohru wasn't sure if the nuzzles and cheek rubs that Sousuke gave Makoto _would_ be considered strictly skinship. Friendly touching or hugging was one thing; practically flattening against someone's back and casually nosing their hair was a whole other thing. She hadn't thought Makoto could get redder and yet he was practically a boiled lobster instead of an orca at Sousuke's affections.

"Your skin's rough~!" he whined, squirming in Sousuke's grasp. "Souuu!"

"But I'm apologizing," the whale shark merman hummed, eyes flashing mischievously at Tohru. "I'm sorry, Mako. I know you were just worried about the humans."

"Nnn, o-okay! Okay, I accept your apology!" Makoto cried, hiding his face in his arms when Sousuke very blatantly kissed his temple. "I-I said not in public!"

"But she doesn't think I'm nice to you," Sousuke murmured, though he did stop his nuzzles.

He remained on top of the smaller merman, though, grinning like a self-satisfied cat. Hell, Tohru could hear splashes from behind them and she could only guess his tail was swinging back and forth. Maybe he was less of a self-satisfied cat and more a happy dog. Whichever the case, he stayed on top of a very red Makoto, ignoring the other merman's grumbles that he was heavy.

Tohru didn't know what to ask about first. Her plan had been to ask about this town that Makoto had mentioned, but Sousuke's display of affection made her rethink that choice. Were merfolk more accepting of same sex relationships then? Or was there a whole difference kind of connotation to relationships in general? And then there was Makoto's comment about Sousuke's skin and she wanted to know if that meant the skin colored like a whale shark was also rough like one. It would make sense, remembering the difference in texture between Makoto's black and tan flesh, but one could never be too sure. Assumptions often led to misunderstandings and Tohru didn't want to misunderstand anything about these amazing creatures. She had so many questions and she had no idea where to start.

Coughing, she smiled wanly at those teasing teal eyes. "Okay, so you're not _always_ mean to Makoto-san."

"Spot is blunt." Haru's voice carried up from the water. "But Makoto likes him so I can't do anything about it."

"Still can't get you to leave, though," Sousuke retorted. The orca merman bucked at that comment, frowning up at him. "Ack. Sorry, sorry."

Tohru giggled. "Okay, okay. Before someone gets hurt. Ah, actually…Makoto-san, you said Sousuke-san's skin is rough?"

"Ah, yes," Makoto said, flinching when Sousuke pointedly rubbed his cheek against his again. "Ow…"

"It's because I'm a shark," the teal-eyed merman explained, holding out his hand as he had earlier when Makoto nudged him with his shoulder.

This time Tohru actually was able to hold it, marveling at the stark difference between the gray and tan skin. Just as the orca merman said, the gray skin was rough, at least when she rubbed from his wrist to the middle of his hand. The other way, the skin was actually quite smooth and Tohru couldn't help grinning. The sandpaper texture was very familiar to her, especially when paired with the gray and white skin.

"Dermal denticles," she murmured. "Fascinating."

A whine came from behind her. "Whyyy are you touching them?"

"Science, Rin!" Tohru called before humming thoughtfully to herself. "How fast can you swim?"

"Uh…fast…enough?" Sousuke sounded confused.

She hummed again and looked up to find two puzzled frowns. Her cheeks warmed, startled, and a nervous laugh bubbled out. She always did have a bad habit of getting caught up in her work, especially when learning about new creatures. Honestly, she should have expected this to happen and yet here she was, laughing like a shy schoolgirl.

"I was curious," she explained, smiling sheepishly. "Since whale sharks aren't exactly fast, but Sousuke-san could keep up fine with Makoto-san and Haru-san."

"We don't really have a way to measure how fast we go," Makoto confessed. "But Sousuke can be fast when he needs to."

Said merman tipped his head in a nod before staring down at her with that intense gaze again. For a moment, her body was still before Tohru decided enough was enough and squared her shoulders. She returned Sousuke's gaze with a defiant one of her own and a smirk lifted the side of his mouth.

"And lay off the -san," the whale shark merman added.

Tohru blushed in surprise, stuttering, "O-Oh, okay."

"Good." He slid off Makoto's back just as Haru lifted himself enough to peer over the railing of the boat.

"Makoto, Sousuke," he intoned lowly, blue eyes flashing.

The atmosphere immediately changed. The air was suddenly much thicker than before, almost suffocating. Both larger mermen stiffened, their expressions turning serious. Tohru felt herself tense in response, back rigid and fists clenched. It was startling how easily her body reacted to the tension of the mermen, like tides to the moon. Probably more startling was the fact that Haru only needed to say their names to invoke such a response.

Her worry must have shown on her face because Haru offered a half smile before he disappeared back into the water. Pleasant as it was, the smile didn't do anything for her concern. She looked towards the larger mermen beseechingly. But even with pleading eyes, neither mermen paid attention, looking at each other in some kind of silent communication. For an absurd moment, she thought they were speaking telepathically before Sousuke spoke.

"Gotta go, miss scientist," he drawled, waving his hand lazily.

She only just noticed that there was webbing between his fingers, but before she could even register that in her mind, he too disappeared underwater.

Makoto was the only one left and Tohru found it oddly poetic that he was the last one. He offered her a tentative smile, even though she could see how tense his muscles were. Hoping to comfort him, though she had no idea what was going on, she trailed her fingers over his forearm. The smoothness made her smile, enough so that it caused Makoto laugh.

"Don't worry," he assured her, tilting his head. "It's not because of you two."

"Will we get to see you again?" Tohru couldn't help eagerly asking him, even leaning forward.

His smile widened. "I would like to see you again, so yes."

It took a moment for his words to sink in and then Tohru was blushing brightly, too shocked for a coherent response. The only thing coming out of her mouth were weird aborted squeaks, which only made Makoto laugh again. Furthering her incoherency, he actually reached out and trailed cool fingers down her cheek. She wasn't sure if that was meant to calm her because her heart was beating way too fast to be healthy and she had to bite her tongue when he withdrew his hand so not to wail at the loss. What was going _on_ with her? He offered her a final smile, too warm, too inviting, and then he too was gone.

For a long time, Tohru could only stare dumbly at where the mermen had once huddled. Her cheeks still felt warm, her heart still thudding at Makoto's wanting to see her again. She trailed her fingers down the track that Makoto's had only just made before she was rubbing her cheeks roughly. Her heart needed to slow down, just enough for her to catch her breath. Inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale, slowly, until she was finally calm enough to actually think about what just happened. Now that they were gone, she wasn't sure it actually did.

"That…happened, right?" she asked faintly.

She stared at the wet railing, surprised she could easily remember the broad shoulders that had filled it. That wasn't just imagination… It couldn't be…

A hand touching her shoulder jolted her, causing her to shriek. Heart in her throat, Tohru whipped around to glare at Rin. Her friend had a serious expression as he sunk down to kneel next to her. She frowned, worried. He wasn't about to tell her she had hallucinated that whole experience, was he?

Rin took a deep breath, but didn't speak. His mouth worked soundlessly, forming words but abandoning them as soon as they formed. He frowned, still looking grave.

"Mermen exist," he said after a long moment. "We're not tripping balls."

Tohru inhaled sharply before nodding. "Yeah."

Neither of them noticed the song playing in the background.

_Tell me when_

_When can I see you again?_

_When can I see you again?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song mentioned during the story is "Luck Be A Lady" by Frank Sinatra and the one at the end is "When Can I See You Again?" by Owl City  
> I kinda gave Rin a very eclectic taste in music.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely happy with this chapter, as I haven't felt like I've been in the swing of writing, but I think I'm getting back into it! So I hope you do enjoy this chapter! (And as I'm going to the beach this upcoming week, maybe I'll get inspired~. ;3)

Rin was in a bad mood. His eyebrows were furrowed and all through the drive to dock, he had glared out of the window. Even after they had parked and had finally gotten on the boat, he continued to glare and make the occasional aggravated huff. Tohru wasn't sure why, though she could guess, as there had really been only one thing recently that could turn her usually snarky best friend into a quiet, brooding mess.

Kou had brought up her wedding.

It had been two days since they had last been out. The weather had been dreary and everyone from _both_ their workplaces had all but begged them to stay on land. Not that she could blame them for it. She herself hadn't wanted to relive the experience of dark gray waves crashing over her and instead had found sanctuary in the controlled seas of Churaumi. At least there, she didn't have to worry about storms. Still, spending the two days caring for the whale sharks and their tank companions only made her miss the mermen. She wondered if they (or at least Makoto) had missed her too.

Now, however, it was hard to focus on that. Rin had started muttering under his breath and Tohru had caught him say "captain" numerous times. That was what had tipped her off on the reasoning behind his irritation. There was only one person that he called "captain" with no name attached and that person just so happened to be his baby sister's fiancé. Tohru had to bury her nose in her tablet, biting her lip to keep from snickering aloud. Despite his ardent denials, Rin very much had a sister complex and it never failed to amuse their friends and exasperate Kou.

"I can't believe she's actually marrying captain. Why the fuck would she want to do that. He's loud and obnoxious and never called her 'Kou'—."

" _You_ never called her 'Kou'," Tohru interrupted, flicking to the next page of her eBook.

"I AM HER BROTHER—!"

"Doesn't dismiss you for being inconsiderate."

Rin growled, "I will turn this boat around _so_ fast—."

"Please don't!" Tohru huddled down her seat, peering pleadingly over her tablet at Rin's back. "You're my only method of getting out here."

"You're only free method," the redhead retorted before he slowed the boat to halt. "There. A little closer to the rocks and a bit more to the left than last time."

"You're the best, Rin."

"What happened to me being inconsiderate?"

Tohru stuck her tongue out at him as she stood, placing her tablet into her bag. For a moment, she was still, letting her legs adjust to the gentle rocking of the waves before she was confident enough to walk around without gripping onto everything. She exited the cabin and stretched, enjoying the sun warming her. It was a pleasant day, much different from the last two days of rain. The sky was a deep blue, clear and vast with a few wispy clouds in the distance. There was very little wind, only the gentle breezes rocking their boat. The weather invigorated her and she just wanted to jump into the water and splash around. Sometimes she wondered if she shouldn't have joined the coast guard too, if only to be able to enjoy the sea air, but with the amount of complaining Rin did about clueless boaters and his paperwork, she figured she had gotten the better job. At least the fish didn't talk back.

Well, the ones at her work, though she could hardly call the mermen "fish". (Maybe Sousuke, but not Makoto or Haru.) She wondered if they would pop up again when she went for her dive. Even though Rin was still wary about them, as during their two days not at sea, he had wobbled between acceptance and denial of their existence, he had conceded that having them around was better than no diving partner. Nagisa, who was her usual diving and research partner, was still away on his honeymoon and wouldn't be back until at least next week. To Rin, the mermen were a blessing and a curse when it came to her safety. Tohru really couldn't blame him for that. He always would be a worrywart.

Still, they didn't even know if the mermen would still be around. Makoto had said they patrolled the border of their town, but who knew how large or where that town was. Maybe there would be different mermen patrolling, ones who weren't friendly. Maybe there wouldn't be anyone at all.

There were many variables regarding the presence of the mermen and quite a few of them pointed to them not being there at all. If they didn't show up, Tohru hadn't brought another diver for no reason. The mermen had been the only thing keeping her from bringing someone else, as she was afraid that letting anyone else be privy to their existence would test the limits of their blooming friendship too much. She didn't know how they would react when Nagisa returned. After all, different specializations or not, Nagisa was her friend and loyal diving partner and she knew that if she told him not to come, he would guilt trip her somehow, probably by crying. A lot. And sobbing on Rei. And then Rei would give her that “Please help me dear LORD” look and Nagisa would just end up coming in the end.

Music kicked up behind her, waking her from her thoughts. Tohru turned, finding Rin standing with his hands on his hips in front of the stereo. Usually when he set it up, he would give her a snarky comment or start bouncing to whatever song was playing. However, in place of the self-satisfied grin that usually adorned his face, a contemplative frown pulled down the sides of his mouth. It wasn't a strange expression; Rin wasn’t always smiley, not if Tohru remembered that dark time in high school; but the frown looked much different from the angry scowls of their teenage years.

"Are you still thinking about Kou-chan getting married?" she asked, breaking his concentration.

Rin jumped, making the stereo skip, but he didn't scowl at her for it. The lack of fiery response actually worried her and Tohru frowned herself as he rubbed his neck. Rolling his shoulders, her best friend offered her a half-smile and shrug.

"Can't help it," he finally admitted, his voice thick. He cleared his throat, continuing gruffly, "She's my baby sister. And she's getting married."

The sniffles were starting and he turned his head away, sitting heavily on the cooler that he had brought along for the trip. His shaky sigh rose his shoulders and ended in a hiccup. The sound tugged at her heart. Tohru moved closer to him, hoping to give some solace, but Rin clicked his tongue angrily with his face still turned away from her. He had bristled, as he usually did whenever someone tried to approach him when he was like this. With soft sigh, the marine biologist squeezed next to him on the cooler and ignored his watery complaint. As if he actually meant it. He enjoyed closeness as much as Nagisa did, even if he did perpetuate the tough guy persona.

She wrapped an arm around his waist, tightening her hold when he sniffled again. He was such a crybaby, always would be she figured, but he was _her_ crybaby. She just never realized how hard Rin was taking Kou's engagement and marriage. When Kou had first announced it, he had reacted predictably with anger and disapproval. (Tohru was a little ashamed to admit that she and their friends had had a pool going about how he would react.) Other than his initial reaction and some overprotectiveness whenever someone brought it up, though, Rin had never shown any discomfort or unhappiness with Kou's engagement.

Tohru's stomach swirled guiltily. She hadn't noticed how upset Rin actually was. What kind of friend did that make her if she couldn’t even notice just how hard Rin was taking it? Sure, she had caught him brooding a lot, but she didn’t think it was so bad. He wasn’t exactly that secretive a person and he could be overdramatic, but she remembered high school and the wall he hit in his swimming and her stomach rolled again. Rin wasn’t… _that_ hurt by it…was he?

Before she could worry anymore, he hugged her shoulders, pulling her closer. It immediately levied any worries that she was a bad friend because Rin would never let himself cry in front of someone he didn’t trust. And if he was going through a rough patch like the one he had in high school, he wouldn’t cry at all. It was strange that she could tell how Rin was doing just by if he _cried_ or not, but she was happy enough that she _could_ tell. He was still sniffling and her head felt wet where he laid his cheek against her hair, but there was no other indication that he was actually crying. She smiled at that, squeezing his waist again and patting his chest. Honestly, such a big baby.

"Ah, Rin," she murmured, chuckling lightly. "C'mon, you big crybaby. This is a _happy_ thing! Kou-chan loves Seijuurou. You're gonna have nieces and nephews!"

Rin moaned dramatically, "That's…That's not helping at _all_. We're talking about my _baby_ sister here. I don't want to think about nieces and nephews."

"Okay, fine. But you admit it's a happy thing, right?" Tohru squeezed his waist to punctuate her question. She twisted her head, trying to see her friend's face, but his cheek remained stubbornly on her head. Its new residence happened to be her forehead.

"I guess…" He sighed heavily. "But I just…don't _approve_ of him marrying my sister!"

"Ri—."

"You could challenge him to see his potential as a mate."

The two of them jumped, ungracefully falling off the cooler with matching yelps. The deep voice was unexpected and the snort that followed was unwelcome. Still, Tohru couldn't help the excitement that marred her embarrassment when she pushed herself up to find Sousuke and Makoto peering over the railing. They _were_ around. The news brought inexplicable and bubbly happiness to her. Her chest almost felt like it was full of fizzy soda and grin began widening on her face.

Then she realized what Sousuke said.

Her barely born smile quickly turned into a frown. "Don't give him ideas!"

"Too late." Makoto winced and gestured to behind her.

When she turned, Rin was staring at the deck with a hand over his mouth. His eyes were wide with a manic glint, enough so that it made Tohru bristle.

" _Rin_ ," she warned.

"I _could_ challenge him…" Rin began. "A race. I'll challenge him to a race."

Tohru groaned. "He was the captain of the swim team before you."

"Excuse you, _I_ was an Olympian," her friend retorted, huffing. He grinned wickedly. "I won gold. I can beat him."

"You and I both know that if he had wanted to, Seijuurou could have gone to the Olympics."

Rin actually covered his ears. "Lalala, can't hear you. Too busy formulating my _perfect_ plan."

"You're acting like a five year old," she grumbled, but the wickedness in his smile dwindled until there was only warmth in it.

Rin knew he couldn't beat Seijuurou in a race. And, if he could, Tohru knew that Rin would somehow make it so that his old captain _did_ beat him. As protective as he was, he was also a giant softie and loved Kou too much to deny her marrying the love of her life. He was a good brother and a good friend, even if he was a little rough around the edges. Still, Tohru would have preferred the challenge idea hadn't been introduced, but she'd wager a guess that challenging someone to see their potential was part of the mermaid culture. Sousuke was probably just trying to help.

Maybe.

"So...who doesn't your friend approve of?" Makoto asked.

"Ah, his sister's fiancé," Tohru explained as she moved to sit on the deck next to them. She shrugged. "He's just being overprotective."

"He must care a lot about her then!" the brunet merman commented with a sunny smile. "Sousuke's overprotective too."

Said merman gave him a displeased look. "Oi…"

Makoto smiled sweetly at the other merman, a mischievous glint to his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by Tohru. From the narrowed eyes of Sousuke, he had noticed it too.

"I just mean that you care a lot," the orca merman cooed, leaning against the other merman's shoulder. "Don't you care about me, Sou-su-ke?"

Red blossomed on the whale shark merman's face and an unintelligible stream of clicks and strange musical notes left his mouth. Tohru watched in wonder as Makoto laughed, leaning even closer to his friend who huffily turned his face away. Still, he made no move to leave and the brunet merman was content to just rest against him. He gave Tohru a conspiratorial smile and wink. It made her smile too and she wondered if this was payback from two days ago. They certainly made a cute sight, even though both of them were rather traditionally masculine. At least by human standards.

"What was _that_?" Rin's voice carried from behind her and he crouched down beside her.

"Mermish," Makoto explained, still smiling sunnily. "Our language. Merfolk have a natural proficiency for languages."

"Oh? _Is that so_?"

Tohru wanted to roll her eyes because of _course_ Rin would use English to test Makoto's claim. Nevertheless, she couldn't stay completely annoyed at him because she was curious too. This would explain her earlier question about whether or not they were using Japanese because she and Rin were.

" _Of course. Why would I lie?_ " Makoto asked, also in English, with a tilt of his head.

"How fascinating," Tohru murmured, eyes sparkling. She leaned towards the two mermen. "Is there a limit to the amount of languages you can know?"

" _No_ ," the orca merman said, grinning. " _Non c'é un limite._ "

"There is no limit," Sousuke translated when both humans looked blankly at them. He scrutinized Rin. "So you're not tripping balls, huh?"

The giggle burst from Tohru's mouth before she could stop it. That was unexpected, seeing as the conversation had nothing to do with Rin’s belief, but it wasn't altogether uncalled for when one though considered Rin's previous response to the mermen and him only admitting their existence _after_ they left.

Covering her mouth, she turned away from Rin's sputtering and snickered. She appeared to have an ally when it came to her best friend’s quirks.

"Can't exactly say I'm still tripping balls when I got you two ton monsters rocking my boat."

And there was the bite that had caused Tohru's own sarcastic responses. She snorted, turning to see if Sousuke would respond the same way to Rin as her. One of the whale shark merman's eyebrows was risen and a slow grin worked onto his face. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that she wasn't the only one who could cause such an expression. Well, considering the closeness between Sousuke and Makoto and the orca merman's teasing display, she shouldn't be surprised that feistiness caused Sousuke to grin. (She would ignore the tiny part of her that kinda hoped it had been special to her because _honestly_ she wasn’t some character from a shoujo manga.)

Before Sousuke could retort to Rin, and the sparkle in his eyes gave away that he definitely was going to, another voice cut through the air.

"What's a ton?"

Haru's head popped up on Makoto's other side, his webbed fingers curling over the railing. His blue eyes and up were the only things visible and those sapphire depths sparkled at them curiously. It was surprising that he could still fit on the rail with both Makoto and Sousuke huddled there.

Tohru brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Haru's curiosity made her smile, feeling oddly at ease. "A ton is a measure of weight. It's how we describe when something is very heavy. Like whales for example."

Haru frowned.

"Makoto and Spot aren't as big as whales," he said.

"It was an exaggeration," Rin grumbled. "Y'know, like a figure of speech? Like 'I ate a thousand fish today'?"

The dolphin merman just blinked at him, saying nothing. His face remained neutral and longer he said nothing, the more annoyed Rin became until he finally made a disgusted noise, throwing his hands into the air. The response cracked a smile on Haru's face and even Sousuke snickered at that.

"Haru, Sousuke," Makoto chided, but the brunet merman had a small smile himself.

Rin stood with a huff. "Ugh, who wants to spend time with you fishy bastards anyway?"

"Me?" Tohru waved her hand at her friend, who only made another disgusted noise and walked away.

"Don't forget your job!" he called.

"I won't, _mom_ ," she responded and she peeked behind her in time to catch Rin's obscene hand gesture. "Jerk!"

"Such good friends you are," Sousuke commented.

With a grin, Tohru returned her attention to the mermen. "The best."

"Have you been friends long?" Makoto asked with a smile.

"Oh, are we asking _me_ questions today?" she remarked before leaning back on her hands. "Yeah, me and Rin have known each other since we were kids."

"That long, huh?" Sousuke rested his head on his arms, scrutinizing her with hooded eyes.

"Mmhm." She nodded before grinning. "My turn to ask a question. What do you guys eat?"

"Mackerel," Haru immediately answered, his eyes glinting.

Somehow, the answer didn’t surprise her. After all, he was a dolphin and a large portion of dolphins' diets was fish like mackerel. Haru’s enthusiasm was a little surprising, but out of the three mermen, he _was_ the hardest to read. Being honest, though, she was more curious about what Sousuke ate than what Haru or Makoto did. She had figured fish, though she supposed Makoto could also feed on other things, but Sousuke had a whale shark tail. And whale sharks were filter feeders.

"Haruuu!" Makoto whined, hanging his head. "We eat more than mackerel!"

Haru huffed. "Mackerel is the best."

"Honestly…" The orca merman sighed, lifting his eyes with a sheepish smile. "We can eat most kinds of fish and certain other animals. I, personally, also eat stingrays and sea turtles."

Tohru tried to remember which type of orca ate those two particular creatures before remembering that those orcas weren't also part humanoid. She leaned forward, knitting her fingers together.

"Really?" She couldn't keep the eagerness from her voice.

A warm grin blossomed on Makoto's face and he leaned forward as well. A faint splashing noise came from behind him and, with a startled blush, Tohru realized he was wagging his tail. She valiantly ignored the tiny excited voice in her head that squealed and hoped that it was because of her.

"Yes, really," he said, resting his head on his arms with the sunniest smile ever. "Most merfolk can eat most edible things in the sea, though certain types can also eat other things."

"Like what? What types?" she asked.

Her mouth was slightly open in wonder. Speaking with the mermen reminded her of when she was child and had first discovered marine life documentaries. She remembered sitting in front of the television as a child with the same look of wonder. There had been countless times that Rin had to physically pull her away to play outside because she would just sit there all day and watch those documentaries if he let her. She had always wanted to touch the beautiful creatures on the television screen, wanting to swim among them and experience their world. As an adult with a diving license, she could and, now with the mermen in front of her, she was reliving that childlike wonder.

Something shifted in her peripheral vision and she tilted her head to find Sousuke moving uncomfortably. His face, though hidden partly by his arms, looked worried and, when he noticed her gaze, his cheeks actually reddened a little, just underneath his eyes. Her eyes widened. When Makoto said certain types…did that mean…?

"Types like Spot," Haru spoke up and that cute blush actually darkened.

Sousuke grumbled, "Shut _up_ , Haruka."

"So, Sousuke can eat both fish _and_ can filter feed?" Tohru asked Makoto, figuring that he would be the most likely to answer.

Said merman laughed lightly, rubbing his cheek. "Ah, yeah."

Haru chose that moment to stick his fingers into his mouth and pull the sides outwards, making a "bleh" noise. Makoto froze, but Tohru couldn't help the startled laugh from escaping her. She hadn't expected that, not from Haru, and she chuckled against her hands.

Working with whale sharks, she herself had done such an action when explaining their feeding to school groups at the aquarium so it amused her. But as her giggles died down and she peeked at Sousuke, she found him scowling over Makoto at Haru. He was still blushing, but the gills on his neck flared out and his knuckles were white against the railing. Worry doused her mirth and she hurried into a kneeling position.

"I-If he can eat both, t-then, ah, Sousuke, do you mind letting me look at your t-teeth?" she asked quickly, hoping to derail a possible fight.

The look she got in response had her blushing and she could only guess Rin was judging her just as much as the mermen were. Well, Sousuke looked stunned and just a bit incredulous, but Makoto had a thankful look on his face, probably due to her interjecting before a fight could happen.

"Why?" The whale shark merman frowned at her, his gills slowly flattening against his neck. The sight calmed her adrenaline-filled heart.

"W-Why? B-Because you can eat both," Tohru tried to explain, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I-I mean, I know how w-whale sharks eat and all and they have unusable teeth and you obviously have teeth and they look human-like and I was just curious…"

She dropped her eyes from his, blood rushing in her ears. Her request sounded strange to herself and maybe she had gotten way ahead of herself. The mermen and she didn't know much about each other and, even if she was asking about them, it wasn't like she was asking about _them_ personally. She was asking about the general them, about their species and only that. Learning about zoology had always excited her, but she had never thought it would blind her. So much so, that she would ignore the person for the species. Sure, she was genuinely curious and she had asked it as a distraction, but now she felt bad. It seemed…insensitive to ask about feeding habits when Sousuke had been embarrassed about just that.

Biting her lip, she hunched her shoulders. Ah, she hoped she hadn't blown it. Because she did sincerely like talking with them, even if she…she was so impersonal about it. But there was so much to learn from and about them and she just wanted to know everything. It wasn't a great excuse, but never in her wildest dreams did she expect mermen to exist. Their mere existence had blown her away. And maybe she had become a little obsessed with them. It took all her will not to claw at her face and groan. She was acting like some creepy otaku.

A heavy sigh puffed from in front of her. "Ah, don't make that face."

The heat actually reached her ears and Tohru looked up, trying not to pout. "W-What face?"

"That one." Sousuke pointed at her face, wincing. "That pout. Makoto does the _same_ thing. I can't stand it."

"Because you're a big softie," Haru piped up, swaying a little when Makoto nudged him.

Thankfully, the whale shark merman only rolled his eyes, keeping his gaze fixed on Tohru. Had this been two days ago, she would have been intimidated by his intense gaze, but with the faint blush just under his eyes and the almost pout on his lips, it was hard to actually feel anything but desire to cuddle him. Tohru wondered if that was because her best friend was Rin, who himself could appear rather intimidating and yet she still wanted to cuddle like a teddy bear. Her redhead friend _really_ had skewed her ability to deal with intimidation and threats.

A smile slowly grew on her face and she was pleasantly surprised when Sousuke returned it. Albeit his smile was small and very, very shy, but it was a smile nonetheless. He sighed again, softly this time, and his tense shoulders relaxed.

"That's better," he mumbled before rubbing his mouth nervously. "So…my teeth."

"Ah! Y-You…You don't actually…" Tohru began, waving her hands. If he was sensitive about it…

His mouth twisted, eyebrows furrowing, and he cast a searching look towards Makoto. The orca merman smiled encouragingly in response, gently bumping his cheek against his shoulder. Immediately, Sousuke's face smoothed out and he inclined his head towards the other merman. The gesture was so natural, almost instinctive, and Tohru was a little surprised when Makoto glommed onto Sousuke and gently bumped their foreheads together with a giggle.

"It's okay," she heard the orca merman murmur.

The hushed reassurance made Tohru wonder, probably for the first time she realized ashamedly, but it made her wonder if Sousuke wasn't as comfortable around her and Rin as Makoto was. Docile as they were, whale sharks weren't known for playing with humans. (Not that orcas were known like that either, but due to parks like SeaWorld, the large cetaceans had garnered an unhelpful reputation as cute, friendly creatures.) Dolphins, on the other hand, were known to play around in the wakes of boats and even help fishermen so it was a little more understandable that Haru (and she supposed Makoto too) were more open to her and Rin.

Before she could contemplate this any further, Sousuke opened his mouth wide, much wider than a human could, and Tohru found herself leaning forward eagerly despite herself. His teeth really did look human, much more so than Makoto's or Rin's, but there were still what looked like jagged, almost serrated, edges to each tooth. She wasn't all that surprised to see that he really didn't have human-like molars (they looked just as sharp as the rest of his teeth), but by the back of his tongue, she saw strange black spots. Logic told her that they were probably his filter pads. Since his gills were on his neck, it made sense that the filter pads would be near his throat. Still, she was curious and she lifted her hand.

"You will NOT put your fingers into the mouths of strange men!" Rin's voice rang out from behind her, causing her to jump almost a foot.

"I-I wasn't—," she tried, feeling disappointed when Sousuke's mouth snapped shut. She turned to pout over her shoulder at Rin, who was sitting on the cooler again. Honestly, he needed to stop just…lurking. "D-Don't you have captain business to attend to?"

"We're anchored and I can't very well fish with these guys here," Rin remarked, nodding his head towards the mermen. "Besides, YOU have a job you need to do. Go suit up."

"I'm _older_ than you!" Tohru whined, but she stood nevertheless.

"By a month and four days, but I'm taller." Rin waved his hand flippantly. "Go on. I'm sure the mermen will still be here. At least one of them has a pu—." He stopped himself before snorting. "Has a _guppy_ crush on you."

It was a stupid pun and yet Tohru's cheeks _still_ heated up. She hardly saw how _any_ of the mermen could have…could have a _guppy_ crush on her or whatever. Emotions raging, it took all her will not to stomp like a petulant child into the cabin. The door did slam shut behind her, making whatever song currently playing skip.

Guppy crush. She didn't know why she was focusing on that, but she couldn't help turning the words over in her head. What was it with Rin and his words having such effect on her? Like "false sense of security" from the last time. Maybe she was being too sensitive or something. Heavens know that there could be _no_ way any of the mermen could have a crush on _her_. Even if Makoto had called her cute…if Sousuke had called her fiery with a teasing grin… That…That didn't _mean_ anything. Men just said pretty words to women, hoping for some kind of reaction. …right?

Grumbling at herself, Tohru shook her head as she changed her clothes. She was thinking _way_ too into this. Rin said silly things all the time. Guppy crush was…was just another silly thing. The mermen were just as curious about humans as she was about merfolk. There was no attraction or anything like that. Just…curiosity. She tugged the zipper of her wetsuit sharply, a little too much so, and winced when it caught on her hair. Sighing softly, she rubbed the back of her head. Yeah, she was thinking way too into this. Guppy crushes aside, Rin was right. She had a job to do and as much as she would love to learn more about the mermen, she wasn't going to get paid for it. Now the population of stingrays… _that_ she was going to be paid for.

Mind somewhat clear, Tohru headed out of the cabin. And froze, staring in disbelief as she registered what was happening.

The voice was melodious, strangely sweet and alluring, with that slightly rough, throaty feel that tended to happen with natural vibratos. It tickled her ears, prickled against her skin, sending warm tremors down her spine. If such a thing as intangible honey existed, something that sounded as sweet and rich as honey tasted, she was sure it was this. Tohru tried to swallow, dazed as she just…stared. Her college class had said nothing about male sirens. If they existed, she wondered if she was looking at them. Because the hypnotizing sound was Makoto singing, his head resting on his arms and his eyes closed as he sang along to Rin's music. He seemed quite content, singing along as if he had heard this song thousands of times.

Forcing her eyes away, just for a moment, she was glad to see that she wasn't the only one mesmerized. Rin sat stock still, his mouth hanging open, eyes glued to the merman just as much as hers had been. Her eyes couldn't stay away for too long, though, as she was enraptured by the singing that would put the original singer to shame. It actually felt like she might start crying, her eyes prickling, and Tohru struggled to close her mouth. At least until she noticed the low humming accompanying Makoto's voice and her gaze jumped to the merman resting his head against the orca merman's shoulder.

Just like Makoto's, Sousuke's eyes were closed, but he looked so much more peaceful than he had when Tohru had left earlier. Her heart tightened at the sight of the two so comfortable around each other. The way Sousuke's head rested on Makoto's shoulder, the way their voices (even if one was only humming) melded together, it was like they were two pieces fit together. She didn't know, not officially, but she would definitely wager a guess that the two weren't just good friends. Haru and Makoto looked close, but the way Makoto and Sousuke oriented themselves around each other reminded her of lovers, of people who are so used to being around each other and are so in love that they just…synchronize. Like Rei and Nagisa, who had been together since high school and were now married. Tohru wondered how she had never connected the dots when Sousuke had plastered himself to Makoto two days ago.

" _We can get away, to a better place, if you let me take you there_ ," Makoto sang. " _We can go right now, 'cause every second counts. Girl, just let me take you there. Take you there…_ "

The song ended and, not knowing what else to do besides stare dumbly, Tohru lightly clapped.

The spell was immediately broken. Rin fell off the cooler again and Makoto's head snapped up, his cheeks flushing when he saw Tohru. Sousuke didn't look as embarrassed as he had when they had been talking about feeding habits, but he still grumbled gruffly and burrowed his face into his arms.

"That…uh." Tohru cleared her throat, blushing when her voice came out breathy. "Ahem. That was…amazing."

"A-Ah, no, it was nothing," Makoto said shyly, a small smile forming on his face. "Haru sings better than me."

Said merman snorted. "Makoto is better."

"You know I'm not."

"Then Spot is."

Sousuke barked a laugh. "I'm not the—."

He didn't finish, instead scowling and looking irritated. Tohru wondered what he was about to say. From his reaction, it could have been something bad…or something that he didn't think she and Rin needed to know. The question was, though, which was it.

"I think we could tell them," Makoto soothed, leaning towards the whale shark merman.

Surprisingly, instead of being mollified, he only looked more irritated. "Can't you two reign in how much you're willing to tell the humans?"

A frown dragged down the corners of the brunet merman's mouth. "Tohru and, uh, Rin was it? Said they wouldn't tell."

"That doesn't mean we should tell them _everything_ ," Sousuke snapped, not looking at the other merman. "And even if they don't tell, that doesn't mean they wouldn't let something slip."

"What's with you?" Makoto pleaded, glancing towards Tohru and Rin. He lowered his voice and switched to mermish.

Sousuke responded angrily. The deep resonate notes and clicks of his voice clashed together discordantly. It was so jarring considering the singing that had only just happened.  

Though she couldn't tell what he was saying, Tohru could tell that both Sousuke and Makoto were getting angry as even the notes and clicks of the orca merman were taking on a heated tone. With how Sousuke had his teeth bared threateningly at Makoto, it was hard to believe that just minutes ago the whale shark merman had his head rested on Makoto's shoulder. In fact, their argument worried her, though she didn't know if she (or Rin) could help in any way. Both Sousuke and Makoto were big; she would guess maybe at least eight or nine feet long, if she remembered the way Makoto swam around her the other day. From working at the aquarium, she knew that you didn't get into the water with an agitated animal, no matter the size, but especially if that animal was larger than you were.

However, before she could think of a plan of action, before she could even move a step, Sousuke made a low, angry noise and was gone, a large splash accenting his departure. Makoto clicked angrily and he too was gone with a splash, leaving Haru alone on the railing.

Tohru wrung her hands fretfully, cautiously moving forward until she was by Rin. That display distressed her, painfully reminding her of high school, back when Rin had hit that wall in swimming. This helpless feeling was the same as then, where she didn't know what to do or if she could even help. She hated that feeling, that sour ball rolling in her stomach, and she beseechingly reached for her childhood friend. It was amazing how relieved she felt when Rin took her hand.

"What…was that?" Rin asked worriedly.

They both looked at Haru and the dolphin merman frowned, shifting uncomfortably. For a long moment, the only sound was Rin's music and the waves. Their only solace that Haru was actually going to answer was the way he pursed his lips in thought. The silence before then, though, was horrible. Finally, he sighed and pulled himself more onto the railing until his arms hung over it.

"Sousuke isn't comfortable around you," he said, blue eyes unwavering as he stared at them.

Tohru frowned, both in confusion and at Haru's use of Sousuke's name. This was serious then. "Okay…"

"And?" Rin pressed. "We kinda need more after that argument."

Haru huffed. "I'm getting there. Sousuke can't feel the ocean in your blood like Makoto and I can."

Tohru and Rin just stared at him, trying to understand what he said. He continued to stare back, just as he had when he first met them.

"…come again?" Tohru finally asked. "Ocean…in us…?"

The merman looked greatly put upon, almost exasperated with them. But it wasn't like they understood his euphemisms. Even if they did understand, the argument between Makoto and Sousuke had shaken them.

"You have the ocean in your blood," Haru explained, frowning thoughtfully. "Meaning…you have an ancestor from the ocean."

Tohru opened her mouth, about to point out that most land animals had an evolutionary ancestor that came from the ocean, but Rin squeezed her hand. Hard. She winced and pouted down at him, but kept her mouth shut. Grudgingly, she would admit that it wasn't the time to interject like that. Haru seemed to be having a hard time explaining as it was.

"So, like, a…mermaid ancestor?" Rin asked.

"Maybe," Haru said, shrugging. "But Sousuke can't tell that the way Makoto and I can. It's because we have connections with the sea singers."

"'Sea singers'?" Tohru echoed, eyes widening. "Like dolphins and whales?"

The merman nodded. "The sea singers have an innate magic that lets them tell who has the ocean in them. Because our tails are like that, Makoto and I also have that ability. But Sousuke has the tail of a whale shark. They don't have the same ability to tell as sea singers do."

That was much more than Tohru had heard Haru talk before and he looked like he was finished with talking. Nevertheless, she still didn't understand, not enough for a clear picture.

"So you're saying that because Sousuke can't tell like you or Makoto can, he's more wary of us?" Tohru asked before Haru could slip away.

"Yes…and no," he responded before sighing. "Sousuke has…history with humans. It's not my place to tell you, though."

She could respect that, though her curiosity screamed to be sated. But she needed to respect boundaries, especially if she ever wanted Sousuke to trust her. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile onto her face.

"All right. Thank you, Ha—."

"I'm a soul singer," Haru cut her off. "That's what Sousuke was going to say. That he's not a soul singer."

"And…what does a soul singer _do_?" Rin asked, his voice carefully neutral. Tohru, however, could feel the nervousness in the tremble of his hand.

"I can sing the song of your soul." Haru's eyes seemed to gleam in the late morning light, their blue depths shifting like the sea. "And your souls have notes of the sea."

Then he stopped talking, seemingly worn out as he dropped his head to his crossed arms. He continued to watch them, though, and Tohru wasn't sure if he was seeing _them_ or actually looking into their souls. Well, maybe not so much as looking as listening to their souls. Maybe that's what he had been doing the first time they met, when he had silently observed them. Maybe he had been listening to their souls, seeing if they were trustworthy.

It wasn't until a song passed that any of them spoke. Rin cleared his throat, rubbing a hand in his hair.

"Okay, so…why are you still here?" he asked. Tohru wasn't sure if he was talking to her or Haru.

"Because humans shouldn't explore the ocean alone," Haru responded anyway. He looked towards Tohru. "I'll accompany you in Makoto's stead."

"O-Oh…thank you," she said. "I…yeah, I should get to work."

Slipping her hand from Rin's, she dragged her gear from the deck box and began suiting up. Her hands moved mechanically, knowing what to do from years of practice. It allowed her mind to turn over this new information, about soul singers and the ocean in their blood. She wondered if that explained why she and Rin had both been drawn to swimming and jobs that involved the ocean. Was it the ocean in their blood or was it growing up next to the sea that had caused that? This was a new direction to look from, a new side of herself to explore. Hell, even the possibility of being descended from mermaids was something to think about. It was almost enough for her to become giddy like a child.

Except there was another thought, one she hadn't thought of in a long, long time. It slithered its way to the forefront of her mind as she prepared to dive, giving Rin a thumbs up and letting Haru move out of the way for her to enter the water. Tohru didn't actually want to give the thought credence or anything of the sort. She didn’t even want to think about it at all. But Haru's voice softly murmured "ocean in your blood" her mind and Tohru couldn't help it.

She wondered if that ocean in them was the cause of all the men dying young and by the sea in Rin's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That song that Makoto is singing is Let Me Take You There by Plain White T's.  
> I plan to have at least one song mentioned/sang in each chapter. Because singing mermen ftw. (And just imagine Sousuke crooning old love songs oh gosh.)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry that it's been a while since I last updated. This year has really been tough for me and I just lost much of my motivation to do just about any kind of creative thing. I am doing a little better now, but with school starting, I can't guarantee a quick chapter. ;; But thank you for those who stuck around despite all that! Hopefully next chapter will be a little quicker!
> 
> Also, happy birthday, Sousuke! ;w;

Four days.

It had been four days since Tohru had seen either Makoto or Sousuke. Each day that she had gone out, there had only been Haru in the water. She was glad for his company, yes, but she couldn't help missing those sparkly green eyes or that wry grin. Even though the last time she had seen either, they hadn't been sparkly or wry. That didn't stop the ache in her chest, an odd sensation she didn't quite understand because she usually didn't feel so put out when she missed someone.

She was grateful to Haru, really she was, but she hadn't been able to _talk_ to him. She hadn't been able to ask about Makoto and Sousuke, to put her worry at ease. He stayed underwater, only poking his head above the surface to make sure she was about to enter, and left as soon as Tohru was at the boat. It drove her mad because she _needed_ to talk to him. More than her worry for Makoto and Sousuke, she needed to know if her best friend was cursed. If the ocean in his blood was the cause of all the men in his family dying young by the cruel, cold hands of the sea. That thought kept her up at night, exhaustion the only thing pulling her down to dreams full of dark water and her best friend floating underwater, powerless and unconscious.

The ocean had never scared her. Even after the storm, she stubbornly refused to be afraid of it. She had grown up with it and in it. She had spent many a summer talking with the men that fished it. But she couldn't help those nightmares. Her dreams hadn't been the most pleasant since the storm, but she had always managed to get a least a few hours of decent sleep after tossing and turning. Haru telling them about the ocean in their blood shouldn't have bothered her so much, shouldn't have stirred those tireless dreams into nightmares. But it did and Tohru wished desperately that she had never asked Rin's grandmother about the photographs that lined the small shrine in her house.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Tohru sat at the kitchen table in their shared apartment, running her fingers through her hair. A steaming cup of coffee sat before her, its creamy brown depths smelling inviting, but she had only managed a few sips before she was staring off into space. She had never thought herself a worrywart, but she supposed things were different when it came to her closest friend, someone who was the closest thing to a brother that she had.

"I'm home!" Rin called breathlessly and she blinked up at him when he poked his head into the kitchen. "Is that coffee?"

"The pot's still hot," Tohru responded, nodding her head towards the coffee maker.

" _Yes_ ," Rin groaned in English and trotted over to the dark nectar. He was still in his running clothes and Tohru could smell his sweat from her seat, but she had long since given up on trying to get him to wash up before his coffee.

"Good run?" she asked, finally taking another sip of her coffee. It was lukewarm.

"Mmhm," Rin hummed. She heard him sigh a little blissfully. "Looks like it's gonna be a nice day too."

"That's good. I have to stop at the aquarium before we go out, though," she explained, swirling her coffee.

They lapsed into silence and usually, they were comfortable with it. But Tohru could feel Rin's eyes on her and she wondered if he could tell that she had been worrying the last four days. Worrying about him, about the ocean in their blood, about the suspicious coincidence that ran in the Matsuoka family. He _was_ her best friend, but she hoped, hoped, _hoped_ that he didn't realize, didn't recognize the signs in her. (He would, but she could hope against hope.)

She didn't take her eyes off her coffee. Maybe…Maybe Rin wouldn't ask…

He sighed again, heavier this time, and she bristled. "Toh—."

Her phone, sitting innocently on the table, rang at the moment. She almost slapped it away in her haste to pick it up, breathing a greeting without checking or registering the ringtone.

_"I hope I didn't wake you."_

"Dad," Tohru breathed before laughing nervously. "Hi. No, I was awake."

_"Well, that's good. I wanted to check in with you. See how you were doing."_

Her father's voice was gentle and it made Tohru smile despite the way she could still feel Rin's eyes boring into her back. Even with everything going on, the worry for Rin, the sticky feeling about not seeing Makoto or Sousuke, just hearing her father's voice softly asking her how she was made her feel warm. He had such a rough demeanor and tended to be blunt and straightforward in manner. It had made talking with him aggravating at times, but there were also times like now, where his voice was soft and his words gently casual, and her chest just swelled with love and affection. Prickly and stubborn as he was, he was her dad and she did want him to be a part of her life. So much so that she almost, _almost_ wanted to tell him about the mermen.

But that would be going against her promise. Sousuke was already so wary of them and she so desperately wanted the whale shark merman to feel comfortable around her and Rin. So she didn't say anything about the mermen, pushing them from her mind. At least for the moment. Just so she didn't blurt anything accidentally. Because she was sure the next time she saw the mermen, if she ever saw Sousuke again, they would be able to tell the guilt in her for blurting about them. Haru especially.

"I'm doing okay," she answered, running a finger around the edge of her coffee mug. She tried not to stiffen when Rin huffed and sat down next to her.

 _"Hmm… Are you sure? You sound a little…subdued."_ Leave it to her father to notice that she wasn't doing okay. _"It's not…_ boys _…is it?"_

Also leave it to him to jump to a _ridiculous_ conclusion.

"Oh my God, dad, _no_ ," Tohru groaned, covering her eyes. She paused, realizing that technically, her father _was_ correct. Not that she was going to admit that because her dad got a little touchy when it came to her spending any kind of time with guys. (Rin was the only exception. Her father was even wary of Nagisa and Rei and _they_ were blatantly gay.) "If I sound subdued, it's because I'm a little tired. Not because of _boys_. I'm twenty-six, dad."

She elbowed Rin, who had started snickering as soon as she had said "Oh my God". He was going to start teasing her as soon as her phone call ended. She just knew he was. Being her friend for years, training in Australia or not, the man was well aware of her father's overprotectiveness. Maybe it was karma or something that Rin was as amused by her father's overprotectiveness as much she and their friends were about Rin's.

_"You're still my baby girl. And I don't want you dating."_

"Shouldn't you want grandchildren or something?" she grumbled. She heard the indignant intake of air that usually preceded her father launching into a rant about how no man was worthy of his baby girl and all the things that he would do to make sure that no man _was_ worthy. "Anyway! Yes, I'm doing okay, dad. Don't worry. Still going out to sea, no paralyzing fear, just some tossing and turning at night."

"Tossing and turning?" Rin murmured, but she ignored him in favor for her father's response.

 _"Flashbacks?"_ Her father sounded sharp, using the tone he used when he was coaching.

Tohru pressed her lips together, unsure how to respond. Her dreams hadn't always been about ocean water pressing around her and filling her lungs. Other times it had been witnessing that happen to Rin. Sometimes she didn't even remember the dream, just waking up in a scared and panting haze. She didn't really want to talk about it. She didn't want to acknowledge it, afraid that she would break down if she did.

Still…

"Kinda?" Tohru responded, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She sighed. "I mean, I wouldn't call them _flashbacks_ … Just…me being suspended in water I guess."

She could feel Rin's gaze on her, knew that he was worried and maybe a little angry with her for not telling him. The thought almost made her snort. He was dealing with his own nightmares, his own flashbacks. As close as they were, she didn't want to add more to his plate and, to be honest, she didn't really want to talk about her dreams. Especially not now.

 _"Tohru,"_ her father warned before he sighed. _"If this is messing with your work—"_

"It's not," she cut him off, voice tight. "The dreams are just dreams. B-Besides, there have been some good dreams too! Sometimes I'm being saved by mermen!"

It wasn't actually a lie and it wasn't her just…misrepresenting reality. She had had a few dreams where one of the mermen, usually Makoto, saved her. But…it was also her just squeezing a little bit of truth there, to see if her father would believe it. Thunderous teal eyes flashed in her mind and she bit lip. She hadn't actually told her dad, just…insinuated it.

 _"Mermen? Ha! If only,"_ her father laughed and her mental image of angry eyes faded. Right, of course he would laugh at that. _"Well, as long as it helps you."_

"Yeah," Tohru agreed with a small laugh. She smiled a bit. "It definitely helps."

_"Hmm. You sound better now. I'll let you go then. But Tohru, I'm always here if you need to talk, all right? Don't bottle things up. You're like me and bad things happen when we keep too much inside."_

She cradled her phone, feeling her heart swell. "Thanks, dad. Say hi to mom and Kana for me, okay?"

_"Of course. Bye, honey."_

"Bye."

Her father hung up first, but she kept her cell phone to her ear for a while longer. She wasn't quite ready to speak to Rin and face his reaction to her avoidance these past few days. Frankly, she was rather proud of her friend for not confronting her earlier on it. He was usually so straightforward and demanding answers so that he could get to the bottom of what was bothering people. It was an aftereffect of high school, where he had let no one in and had attacked anyone trying to get close. Keeping secrets and hiding things like that tended to isolate the people that cared the most.

Was that what she was doing? Isolating Rin? Tohru had only wanted to spare him a little. She had woken up too many days to find Rin sitting at the kitchen table with a lukewarm coffee in front of him and ruby eyes bloodshot. Those mornings were finally ending. Her dreams were her problem and she was getting through them. The inclusion of Makoto into her dreams had significantly cut down the amount of times she woke up from tossing and turning in her sleep. That was a good sign. It had to be. She was getting through it, handling it, and she didn’t want Rin to relapse with his own sleepless nights.

Well, she might as well get this over with.

Tohru placed her phone on the table and turned to Rin. Her best friend stared into the distance, his mug to his lips, looking ever the picture of nonchalance. Her lips curved into a knowing smile, even as her stomach swirled nervously. Fake or not, forced or natural, she rather have his nonchalance over an accusing, hurt stare any day. It meant that, despite feeling hurt that she had kept something important from him, he wasn't going to get angry about it. Because he had been there himself, long ago though it was.

"So…mermen saving you, huh?" Rin spoke up, his eyes drifting over to her.

Tohru gave him a tentative smile.

"Yeah. Ever since…since we learned about them being real, I haven't…been tossing and turning as much," she explained, glancing away. Her smile fell and she traced the rim of her coffee cup.

"But?" Rin sounded tense.

"But…I've…had a few nightmares the past couple days or so," Tohru murmured, frowning into her coffee. The brown liquid sat innocently and she swirled it, watching the waves she created. For a moment, their light brown depths turned to the dark gray of stormy waters, the kind she could remember surging down her throat and suffocating her. Her voice was hushed as she added, "Ever since…Haru said that the ocean was in our blood…"

Her best friend hummed before his chair scraped back as he stood. His fingers were warm when they ruffled her hair, drawing an indignant cry from her.

"You keep too much inside," Rin said, keeping his hand flat on her head. It prevented her from glaring up at him. "Is that what's been eating you? The ocean in our blood thing?"

Her fingers curled around his wrist, pulling his hand away from her head. Nevertheless, she didn't look up at him, instead sighing. Maybe she should tell him…tell him just why those words bothered her so much.

"Yeah," she confessed, biting her lip. "Rin. I—"

"It's nothing to worry about, all right?" he cut her off and Tohru looked up at him then. For one moment, his face was serious and thoughtful, but a grin blazed across his face when he caught her gaze. "So we're descended from mermaids or something. That's cool, right?"

His smile was so bright, so warm, that Tohru didn't have the heart to explain her worry. Not yet, at least. Not until…Not until she was able to talk to Haru. Then maybe she would tell Rin. In the meantime, she would allow him to cheer her up, letting his infectious smiles worm their way into her chest and spread their warmth through her.

Laughing lightly, Tohru stood herself and walked her mug over to the sink. "Don't you mean…it's romantic?"

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Rin huffed, leaning against the counter next to her as she rinsed out her mug.

"I'm not the one who filled his high school pool with cherry blossoms."

"Okay. That was a bet. Instigated by _you_ so you don't get to talk about that," he pointed out before getting another cup of coffee. "You think that ocean thing has something to do with our jobs?"

Tohru raised her eyebrows. "What? Like, we were drawn to these jobs because they have something to do with the ocean?"

Rin nodded, thoughtfully running his thumb over the edge of his cup. His eyes looked unfocused, gazing deep into the dark liquid before him. "I was offered a modeling gig."

She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When I was still swimming professionally, when I had decided to retire, I was offered a job to be a model," he explained, shrugging. He smiled at her, but it was small and a little sad. "Katsumi offered me the job."

Tohru hadn’t heard that name in a while. Souda Katsumi had been Rin's girlfriend for a time during his professional swimming days. She was an amazing woman, smart and confident, and Tohru had thought that her best friend would ask her to marry him. But nothing had really happened in the end. When Rin retired from swimming, he joined her in Okinawa and became part of the coast guard. He hadn't talked about Katsumi in almost two years, save for an occasional mention. She didn’t even know if he still talked to her.

Tohru wondered if things had ended badly between them. She just…had never felt that she had the right to ask Rin about it. Not when she herself had a hard time understanding romance. The warm bubbly feeling that Makoto caused in her was the first time Tohru had felt what she assumed romantic feelings felt like.

"You didn't take it," she stated, tilting her head to the side. "Why? Didn't you—?"

"It had nothing to do with Katsumi," Rin cut her off, rubbing his neck. "I…I just had to be close to the ocean. Closer than Tokyo would let me be."

"The ocean in our blood," Tohru murmured, dropping her gaze to the running water in the sink.

"Probably."

They stood there in silence. Rin sipped his coffee, smile gone and eyes staring at something far, far away. Maybe his mind was on what ifs or on the ocean or maybe nothing at all. But he just stared at the backsplash behind the sink, eyes moving very little, blinking slowly. His cup moved gently upwards to spill its contents into his mouth before lowering just so no delicious darkness escaped.

He was still in his running attire, still smelling of sweat, enough so that Tohru felt her nose start to wrinkle. But she didn't say anything, sticking her fingers under the faucet and letting the cool water run over the digits. It was strangely relaxing, calming almost. Just having the silky touch of the water running over her fingers put her heart to ease. The desire to submerge herself in it tingled down her spine and she slowly rolled her fingers into a fist. It was too bad that she had already taken her shower. Otherwise, she would have headed into the bathroom to soak in the tub, just to indulge herself. Maybe she would do that tonight when they got back. After all, if she managed to ask Haru what she needed to, she was sure that she would need a nice relaxing bath.

"Well, enough dark thoughts for today!" Rin announced, slapping a hand on the counter. Tohru jumped, staring wide-eyed at him. "And _you—_ no more keeping things inside, got it? I told you I'd be there for you and I'm standing by that promise. Hell, I will scour the ocean for your love-struck guppies if that'll make you smile."

Heat pooled in Tohru's cheek because calling any of the mermen "guppy" was ridiculous and maybe Makoto was _friendly_ , but _love-struck_? Absurd!

She snorted, snickers echoing in their small kitchen as her shoulders started shaking. Leaning over the sink, her snickers became full-blown laughter because imagining the muscular forms of Makoto and Sousuke with the frilly, colorful tails of guppies was too amusing. (And strangely, might actually work, but only if Sousuke had a dark, mysterious tail. Any other color just made her snort.)

"W-Why do you keep calling them guppies?" she asked, giggling as she followed him out of the kitchen.

Rin shrugged, throwing a grin at her over his shoulder. "Because _guppy_ rhymes with _puppy_ in English and Makoto totally has a puppy crush on you."

He disappeared down the hall before Tohru could retort. But from the feel of the heat in her cheeks, she wasn't even sure how she would counter that.

***

A couple or so hours later, Tohru was walking through Churaumi Aquarium and frowning down at the memo in her hand. It was just a typical memo from the director asking her about her progress with the stingray population and the approximate date on when she would return to work. The scowl on her face had formed long before she had even read the note, not that its carefully worded contents didn’t add fuel to the fire. Were it anyone else but her annoying cousin as director, she would have been much more gracious about it. As it _was_ her annoying cousin who had not only looked down upon her own career choice but her father and Rin's as well, Tohru was a little less than willing to let it slide.

Churaumi was a large aquarium; it had to be to house the three twenty ton sharks that called it home. That being said, Tohru was by no means the only specialist on sharks and rays in the establishment. In fact, her coworker and in-house diving partner, Iwashimizu, had a degree specializing in the care of sharks. His specialty was technically lemon and nurse sharks, but he had learned fast how to care for the whale sharks. Tohru always found it amusing that she and Iwashimizu were the go-to biologists for Kuroshio Sea, the exhibit housing the whale sharks. Nagisa liked to call them "Double Tohruble", usually garnering a groan from Rin and Rei, since she and Iwashimizu shared a given name.

Digression aside, there were a number of biologists in the aquarium that could and have backed her up when she had to go somewhere. Furthermore, she had lost a whole month of data gathering and that left a large and unpleasant gap in her report. Not to mention, she had to start over because of said gap and had hastily changed the subject of her paper to reflect the new angle. It would be much easier if the director had given her the funds to order an underwater recording device like a tag or something similar, but he was a penny-pincher and had looked down his nose at her when she had asked the month before she started her research.

This morning's meeting and memo only reminded her more vividly of that. Tohru scowled, angrily balling up the paper in her hand and shoving it into her pocket. Sometimes she wondered if he wanted her to fail or be discredited. It wasn't like he should feel threatened by her or anything ridiculous like that. Tohru was a scientist. She didn't want to deal with the politics that came with running an aquarium. She didn't want to sit in on meetings about finances and revenue and what they could do to attract the most customers. Honestly, she didn't see how they could possibly be doing badly. After all, the whale sharks were a big draw and their main attraction. Not to mention the inclusion of the dolphin arena and lessons on the marine life of Okinawa were big draws to younger crowds and blossoming biologists. Money wise, the aquarium was doing fine.

But then again, she was a scientist, so what did she know?

Rubbing her head, Tohru hurried her steps as she left the employee only area for the hustle and bustle of Kuroshio Sea's main viewing area. As per usual, what appeared to be a school group was plastered to the lower edge of the tank's glass wall, their high childish voices echoing as they squealed and shouted at the large animals moving above them. A smattering of adults, chaperones she would guess, hung back from the kids, but their faces too were raised in wonder. She couldn't blame them, honestly. The reason why she left this way every day was just so she could catch a glimpse of the whale sharks and mantas, watching them circle in their artificial sea.

Illuminated by the cool blue of the water, the darkened room felt small and cozy. It was large, actually, as it had to accommodate all the eager guests, but the lowered lights and dark carpeted walls created the illusion of a much, much smaller room. When she had first started working at the aquarium, fresh out of college and living in a much tinier apartment, Tohru used to pretend she was a mermaid or a fish or something like that and that the room was a cave and she was watching giants swimming by her home. She could still remember that, still feel the warm nostalgia in her chest, but she couldn't let herself indulge in that anymore. Not when the director was so unforgiving.

Casting one last glance at the tank, Tohru continued on her way. She didn't want to leave Rin waiting and, personally, she didn't want to linger any longer at the aquarium. As much as she loved it, she wanted to be on the ocean again, to feel the salt breeze stirring her hair and soaking into her skin. She wanted the water to submerge her, where it was just the right temperature between cold and cool, and maybe, just maybe, she wanted to see the mermen. Not just Haru, but Makoto and Sousuke too. As much as Sousuke distrusted them, she wanted to them to consider her something more than just a random human they humored. She wanted more than to just _see_ Haru. She wanted to talk.

She just really doubted she would be able to.

"Ah, Terazuka-san! Leaving already?"

Tohru glanced up at the voice, smiling and slowing to a halt at the gray-haired man who trotted over to her.

"Ai, how many times do I have to tell you that you can just call me Tohru?" she responded, grinning at the blush the formed on the man's face.

"Ah, that w-wouldn't be professional, would it?" Ai responded, though he offered her a small smile. He glanced around. "But, seeing as the director isn't around or anything, saying 'Tohru' should be fine."

His eyes had a mischievous glitter that almost made her laugh. Ai was a soft-spoken man, the PR assistant director for the aquarium, and an old friend of Rin's from high school. He had dealt with the dark Rin from that time and, despite his shy demeanor, he had an inner strength that shone through in desperate times. It had been with his help that Tohru and Kou had gotten Rin out of his funk. It had been a delightful surprise to see him in Okinawa after four years of only phone and email contact.

A feeling of peace sunk into her bones and Tohru let herself sigh out another smile.

"Honestly, there is such a thing as being too formal," she remarked, tilting her head to the side with an indulgent look. "But you are correct. I'm heading out to meet up with Rin at the dock. I still have some samples to make and animals to observe."

"You would have such an easier time if the director had just let you tag them or something," Ai huffed, shaking his head. "I applaud his aptitude for keeping on budget, but he's just a step away from being a miser."

"Junpei is basically Scrooge," Tohru agreed with a snort. "Then again, we've never gotten along since we were children so there's that."

Ai's eyes wavered. "Is it bothering your work?"

"Oh, no. I don't have to see Junpei anymore than I need and he's not going to scare me from my job," she laughed, waving her hand. "Director or not, I have seniority here."

"Are you sure?" Ai pressed, plucking at his sweater vest. He kept his gaze down, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"I'm sure," she said, smiling softly. "Thank you for your concern, Ai, but really, ass or not, I love my job too much to quit."

"You certainly are strong, aren't you, Tohru-san?" Ai finally looked up at her with a smile, an admiring look to clear blue eyes. "Ah, I've kept you long enough then. I'll see you later!"

He hefted his suitcase anew, standing straighter with a confident expression. There was the boy Rin has chosen as captain, hidden behind layers of shy formality. In a way, he was like a pilot fish. A shy and skittish person at first glance, but when it came down to it, he could keep up with bigger, stronger people. Like Rin, like Seijuurou. Ai definitely had an inner strength.

Tohru was glad she could consider him a friend.

Now if she could get the mermen to consider _her_ a friend…

***

The trip to their now usual diving spot was filled with the sound of ruffling pages as Tohru flipped through one of her folklore textbooks that she had managed to unearth from her closet. Frankly, it wasn't that hard to unearth, as she only had this textbook leftover from that class. The others she had all rented from the tiny bookstore Rei had worked at in college and the book currently in her lap had been the only one they didn't have. That was why she had bought it online and could peruse it at her own leisure whenever she needed.

She had never thought that there would actually be a time where she would need it. Yet here she was, flipping page after yellowed page, searching for any use of the words "ocean in their blood". Luck wasn't on her side, but that didn't stop her from scouring the pages. Just seeing the word "blood" on the page had her perking up, but the last couple of times had involved the use of mermaid's blood as a kind of stimulant or natural remedy. Like a cure all for all kinds of illnesses, from aging to muscle growth. Nothing so far had said anything about mermaid ancestors and if they caused premature death.

Her eyes hurt from staring at the text for so long. Tohru rubbed them, groaning softly. She hadn't really expected to find anything, but she _had_ been hoping. There had to be some thread of truth in the countless tales of mermaids that lined thousands and thousands of books worldwide. Surely, someone somewhere had written about what Haru had said. She just…had hoped that it would be in her textbook. Not that she was actually fully through it, but she had perused a good chunk, almost a quarter of the surprisingly thick book, and found nothing. It wouldn't stop her, but for the moment, she let her eyes rest as she leaned her head back against the cabin wall.

All she wanted to know was if her best friend was going to have an early, watery grave. And if she could prevent it. That wasn't too much to ask…right?

The faint lurching of the boat to halt broke whatever doze had descended upon her. She sat up, still rubbing her eyes and folded the corner of the page down. On the return trip, she would continue, but now she had a merman to corner. (She also had work, but Rin's safety came before that.)

"You awake? Anchor's dropped and all." Rin's voice cut through her thoughts, causing her to jolt. "You okay?"

Tohru tilted her head up. Rin was leaning through the door to the cabin, a small frown on his face. His eyebrows furrowed in worry, which was admittedly a familiar sight to her. She gave him a small smile.

"I'm okay. Sorry for falling asleep," she responded, as she stood and stretched.

She pulled her shirt off and gallantly ignored her best friend's shocked squawk. She had already changed into her swimsuit before leaving for the dock. She just had forgotten to tell him that, but her mind had been a little preoccupied so he would just have to live with it. All Rin did, though, was grumble a little bit before he disappeared outside, probably to fuss around with his stereo.

Being honest, Tohru wasn't sure she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts anymore. The thought of losing Rin circled like an agitated fish in her mind, spinning and spinning, sloshing what if's and could have's like over-churned water. Her heart tightened painfully in her chest. Her throat felt like it was constricting. She had to pause to catch her breath, taking long, deep breaths from her stomach to try to calm herself down.

What if's and could have's were just that. What if's and could have's. They were things that hadn't happened and could do nothing to her. She just had to remember that, hard though it was. Fear wasn’t going to help her.

Breathing deeply to steel herself, Tohru exited the cabin and headed straight to where her gear sat waiting for her. How considerate of Rin. She smiled softly, glancing at the redhead who was carefully going through his tackle box. He didn't usually fish when she dived, so she never understood why he brought it with him all the time and he had never told her why. At least it gave him something to do when she was in the water and Rei wasn't there to offer conversation.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

Tohru raised her eyebrows, frowning in surprise at the ruby gaze looking at her. Only concern for her shone in those crimson depths and she felt bad for keeping so much from him. She just didn't want to be a burden.

"I will be," she admitted, smiling softly. "Thank you, Rin."

Her best friend frowned. "If you're not feeling up to it—"

"Junpei's an ass, so I can't take a day," Tohru cut him off, strapping on her fins. She pulled her air tank on. "Besides, I'm already really behind schedule."

"And working when you're not feeling good doesn't help," Rin argued. His banged up sneakers stopped in front of her. "Trust me. I know."

Like Tohru could forget those dark years in high school. Like she could forget how hurt she felt when her best friend pushed her away. He didn't have to remind her. She knew.

"I know, Rin," she murmured, strapping on her goggles. She sat on the railing of the boat, lifting her mouthpiece up. "But I have a job to do."

She let herself fall back into the water, immersing herself in the green-blue of the ocean. For a moment, her eyes remained shut as she sunk down, her body feeling little more than seaweed in the current. It was a strangely pleasant feeling and washed away the stress and worry, if only for just a moment. The water cradled her, gently lowering her into its bosom in a cathartic lullaby. Sunlight filtered down to her, bubbles dancing towards it, and Tohru let her eyes fall close. She was so peaceful. Silence enveloped her in a cool embrace and her mind for once was not running with what if’s and should have’s. Right then, she was just a small piece in a great, giant puzzle. There was nothing more and nothing less. There just was.

Clicks echoed through the stillness, reverberating through her skull. They shattered her peaceful descent. Tohru blinked open her eyes to see a figure looming above her. Blue eyes stared deeply into hers, crowned by dark furrowed brows, before the worried face of Haru smoothed out into a familiar neutral. His hands were steady as he eased her into a more vertical position.

"Makoto will worry," was the only thing he said.

Had her mouth not been full, Tohru would have snapped at him for that. The orca merman hadn't been around in four days. He wouldn't know if Tohru had been just floating aimlessly. She almost wanted to say he wouldn't care and yet the sincerity in Haru's voice, despite his deadpan eyes, gave her pause. The dolphin merman wouldn't be doing all this if Makoto truly didn't care about her. It was just weird to think that someone who she had just met would be so worried about her and cared enough to have someone look out for her. It was even weirder to know that that someone was something that shouldn’t even exist. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Besides that, though, she did miss the stupidly friendly merman. Freshly calved whale indeed.

That phrase only reminded her of the other merman she missed. Her heart tightened as she swam towards the sand, her mind trying to focus on stingrays despite the knot in her chest. She still focused on her work because she honestly had to, but Tohru couldn't help ruminating on the hostility of Sousuke the last she saw him. His motives, whatever they were, were probably sound. If he did actually have history with humans, of course he would be wary of her and Rin. It was just...that he _had_ been friendly with her. Or friendly-ish, but that hadn't stopped him from grinning and laughing at her fear response. He had seemed to actually enjoy himself around her and Rin.

Maybe that had been him being caught up in the riptide of Makoto's friendliness, though. Maybe Sousuke had forgotten himself, forgotten for a brief moment just whatever had happened to him at the hands of the humans. Maybe for one moment he had let his guard down and his heated response had been him clamping down defenses that had long become second nature. Everyone became curt when it came to things that hurt them. Painful memories tended to bring the bad out in people.

Tohru knew better than to try and "fix" Sousuke. She had barely been able to do anything for Rin and he was her best friend. What he had gone through, she couldn't help fix at all. With Sousuke, she knew nothing about him save that he protected his town and maybe had a romantic relationship with Makoto. Whatever fear or injury that caused Sousuke's caution she knew nothing about and because of that, she wouldn't know what to fix even if she was inclined to do so.

As far as she could tell, there was nothing to fix.

Except maybe a tentative friendship, but she didn't want to force things like that. Not everyone could be friends with everyone else.

Nevertheless, the scientist in her so desperately wanted to know more about the mermen. Haru was hardly forthcoming and that comment had been the first time that he had spoken to her in four days. Makoto was much more willing to talk and she was sure if she offered answers to his questions, he would answer hers. A give and take sort of thing. That way, they could learn about each other and get to know one another. Tohru would admit she had been much too clinical about the mermen. Too scientific. Maybe if she asked about them as people, Sousuke wouldn't be so cautious. Maybe then, he would be a little more open, like he had been that brief moment he called her "fiery". Maybe then, they could try to be friends.

She just had so much on her plate right now and worrying about something that may already be irreparable would get her nowhere. If the chance arose that could lead to mending their tentative friendship, Tohru would gladly take it, but with the hostility she saw, she greatly doubted it. There was hope because she would always be an optimist deep down, but the cynical side of her sneered at that. Right now, however, that wasn’t what she should really worry about. After all, Haru was right there and she really needed to ask him something.

He hung back just a few feet above her, gently dipping to check on her every so often. The stingrays had hid a number of times at his presence, but thankfully, he wasn't too much of a hindrance to her research. If anything, it almost felt like she was by herself and if she hadn't seen his shadow pass by her, she might almost believe that he had left her alone for almost an hour if the oxygen measure read correctly. Her thoughts had really distracted her if that much time had passed already. She didn’t have nearly as much data as she should. Well, she could always do another dive later.

Tohru began her ascent, keeping an eye on Haru so that he didn't disappear. He didn't, circling her, but he had an almost confused expression as to why she was going straight up instead of diagonally towards the boat. He would learn soon enough. If he surfaced with her, he would at least.

Her head broke the surface and she removed her mouthpiece, waiting patiently to see if Haru would follow. For a moment, only Tohru was above water, listening to the music echoing from Rin's boat.

_"This life is the best,_

_But it's killing me fast."_

Haru surfaced then, frowning at her. Tohru smiled a bit.

"Why did you surface here?" the merman asked, letting his mouth sink under the water.

She let her smile drop and she took a deep breath. He was her only hope.

Staring straight into those dark blue eyes, Tohru said, "Haru…I…want to ask a favor of you…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Magic Hearts by Calvin Lore


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope this chapter finds you in good spirits! Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy!

Makoto felt extremely guilty. Five sunrises and sunsets had passed and he and Sousuke still hadn't made up. Partly it was because Makoto had been avoiding his mate since that argument in front of the humans, but Sousuke hadn't gone after him at all and that worried him. The whale shark merman was usually quicker in making up after a fight and yet it had been five days with nothing. Again, partly Makoto's own fault, but Sousuke was _stubborn_ ; he wouldn't let Makoto's avoidance stop him.

Uncomfortably, the orca merman admitted that he was maybe, probably, definitely in the wrong here. He just stubbornly held onto the fact that Sousuke was acting childish about the whole thing. Not all…Not all humans were bad. No matter what had happened in the past. That had been a horrible accident and Makoto still blamed himself for it, despite it happening years ago. He still had nightmares about it, though he would never let Sousuke know that. His mate had gone to enough lengths to make sure he didn't feel guilty about it. If Sousuke knew about his nightmares, who knows what he would do to make Makoto feel better.

That only made the ache in Makoto's chest throb, a sick rolling from his heart to his stomach that had him curling up. Sousuke was usually so doting, so overprotective, and yet it had been five days with no contact save for a tense frown and hurt eyes. And it was all Makoto's fault. Again.

But he just…he _knew_ that Tohru and Rin were safe to be around. He could feel it in his bones. They felt like the sea and no matter his fear of open ocean, Makoto felt safe in the sea. Especially when Haru and Sousuke were near. But the situation with Sousuke reminded him uncomfortably of when they were younger, when both Sousuke and Haru were unsure how they fit in the relationship with Makoto and the other. He had felt so alone then, so abandoned by both the people he cared most for, but things had turned out all right in the end. There had been no hitches.

Except for now.

Makoto was terrified that they couldn't fix it. Terrified that he had ruined things irreparably. He had been too trusting, too ready to accept the sparkling eyes of a cute girl, and hadn't thought a thing of his own mate's comfort. But he had thought…he had thought that maybe Sousuke _would_ be okay. The way he had helped him during the storm, dragging Rin along as Makoto pulled Tohru to safety. The way he had jumped up alongside him on the boat. The way he had been so amused by Tohru's sarcasm. The way he had been so willing to fulfill her curiosity. That had all made Makoto think that Sousuke was willing to _try_. If not to get past what had happened, then to understand that he _could_ get past it.

Because Sousuke had looked happy talking to Tohru, had looked like he was enjoying himself. It wasn't that Makoto hadn't see his mate look like that in a while, but seeing him like that with a human of all things just made his heart swell. He just wanted Sousuke to be okay and he wanted to share adventures with him. Like the things that happened with Tohru and Rin. Things like that should be shared with someone you care about. Haru was one thing, but Makoto wanted Sousuke to be there too. He desperately hoped that they could patch things up. Even if both of them were too stubborn to seek the other out.

Makoto sighed, lazily turning in the water so that he was on his back. He was technically on patrol, circumnavigating the edge of the town's territory, but the fight weighed down his heart and he wanted to curl under a rock for a few hundred years. Not that he would do that, as he wasn't a child anymore and it was hard to find niches that would fit his size, but that's what he would have rather been doing. That was why he floated on his back, slowly swinging his tail to keep himself afloat. That way, he had the semblance of doing his work despite the dull ache in his chest.

The water was a pretty blue. Sunlight sparkled down from above, cutting swathes of paler blue against the blue-green of the sea. Fish swam among the beams, sparkling like the gems and the coins that sometimes fell from the world above. An occasional shark lazily glided by and once or twice a small flock of stingrays flew bear him. They reminded him of Tohru, tickling the guilty knot in his chest, but Makoto tried his best to push that further down and just lose himself in his surroundings.

Despite the strangeness of it, Makoto always liked swimming on his back as this way he could see the sparkling sky above. There was something calming about watching the other oceanic creatures swimming against the wavering water's surface. It had never failed to make him feel better and even now, though the ache remained, he did feel a little bit lighter. It wasn't much, but it would have to do, if only so he could get his work done. (Even if, technically, he was really only lazing on his back than actually patrolling.)

"Makoto."

A high-pitched shriek escaped the orca merman's throat, the supersonic burst echoing painfully in his own skull. Clutching his chest, Makoto spun in the water until he was vertical and several feet away from Haru. The other merman rubbed his ear-fins, wincing and looking rather nonplussed.

The sight eased his thumping heart, but he still whined his best friend's name as he eased a little closer. That had shocked him, a tiny pout on his face the only indication that he was bothered by it.

On the other hand, Haru appeared placid and blank. Typical.

Now that he thought about it, Makoto hadn't actually seen Haru very much the last few days. He knew the reason why, of course. Haru had been watching over Rin and Tohru for him, since Makoto felt that it would be callous of him to visit the humans when he was fighting with Sousuke over them. Doing that felt like he was taking sides.

"You surprised me," Makoto whimpered, edging closer to his friend until they were close enough to touch.

Haru stared at him with dark blue eyes, tilting his head slightly. He frowned a little before jerking his head towards the surface. "Let's go breaching."

"Huh?"

But his best friend was already gone, swimming up towards the shining surface.

A tiny jolt of fear and worry flashed through him. He couldn't help thinking of Sousuke's caution about the surface, about the argument that was already five days old. His heart gave a painful leap and Makoto hurried after the dolphin merman. He was several paces behind him, but then again, he wasn't going at his fastest. Generally, he only used that speed for hunting and right now, with the argument so fresh in his memory, he was too frightened to use it.

The image of a glimmering curious smile bloomed in his mind, a pleasantly cute voice asking Sousuke about how fast he could swim. A sharp pang jabbed into his heart, a pang of guilt and want, and Makoto faltered just a little bit.

He wanted to see Tohru again. If only because he enjoyed her curiosity and the way her eyes lit up whenever she saw them. It felt wrong, though, to want to see her so badly when one of his most important relationships was possibly deteriorating beyond repair. A part of him wondered if he only wanted so desperately to see the human woman because she would distract him from his and Sousuke's argument. That was wrong, of course, as Makoto had wanted to spend time with her before the fight, but the little voice nagged away inside, building up guilt in his stomach. He knew that Tohru would be excited to see him and having not talked to Sousuke in five days hurt. It hurt badly.

A splash caught his attention and Makoto glanced up to see Haru swimming towards him. The dolphin merman looked worried as he drew to a stop just in front of him. The larger merman opened his mouth to scold him, fully prepared to reprimand Haru for being so careless, but that all petered away when Haru pressed their foreheads together. Immediately, Makoto's shoulders sagged and he leaned into the touch, bubbles escaping his mouth in a sigh.

"Tense," he heard Haru murmur as his eyes fluttered shut.

"I know," Makoto whispered, shivering faintly at the gentle touch of his friend's fingers on his cheeks.

"Your song is sad."

The smile that curved up his lips was bitter. "I don't know if we'll make up."

"Spot's stupid, but not that stupid," Haru retorted.

A whine of a chuckle bubbled between them. Makoto gently rubbed his forehead against Haru's with a small sigh.

"Thank you, Haru," he murmured before finally opening his eyes. Sapphires glittered back at him and the bitterness seeped from his smile, leaving it small and weary but warm. "Let's go breaching now, okay?"

A small but excited smile formed on Haru's face. The smaller merman grabbed his hands and tugged him towards the surface. A light laugh escaped as Makoto let his best friend drag him to the warm sunshine. As much as he wanted to wallow in his guilt, he knew that doing so really wouldn't help. Breaching would take his mind off everything that happened and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to figure out a plan on just what to do with Sousuke. Because he loved him too much to let this argument linger any longer.

Right now, however, he would indulge himself in some play.

Just before hitting the surface, maybe a few quick tail flips away, Haru dropped his hands. In an incredible burst of speed, he darted through the surface, breaking through the water and splashing down a moment later. Excitement shone in his eyes as he swam a spiral around Makoto before speeding back up.

Makoto laughed, longer and more boisterous than before. A glow settled on him, warming him from the inside out and scaring away the negativity that plagued him. He needed this, to let go, and there was no better way than breaching with Haru.

If there was anything the dolphin merman liked more than collecting human trinkets, it was breaching. It was something the two of them shared that was special to just them. There weren't many in their pods that still indulged in breaching, at least not as often as they did. Makoto's parents only did it if the twins begged them and his siblings usually went with him and Haru anyway. Many a day the four of them had gone breaching, spending hours just darting and flipping and sometimes even swimming with a passing dolphin pod or, very, very rarely, the stray orca pod.

The only thing bad about it was that Sousuke didn't join. It wasn't so much that he couldn't. He had only ever tried when they were children and had never tried again after landing on his back. It was more so that Sousuke felt that breaching was something special between Haru and Makoto. A part of that logic probably had to do with his lackluster performance, but it had still made Makoto warm and fuzzy when he had said that. Because it meant that Sousuke recognized how much Haru meant to him and wanted to them to have something only between them.

His heart gave a painful squeeze.

Makoto really wanted this fight to be over because the more he thought of all the little things that Sousuke did for him, the more he missed the whale shark merman. He supposed if he wanted this fight over with, he might as well swallow his pride and apologize. Which he would, but later, after he had indulged himself in a good game of breaching.

As Haru dove back into the water for a third time, Makoto circled deeper into the water to give himself ample room to accelerate. Grinning, he bolted forward, using all the powerful muscles in his tail, and rocketed out of the water.

The air was warm, warmer than the water, and it was clear. For a brief moment, he was suspended above the water, but it was over all too soon and he crashed down into the water in a less than elegant way. His body mass was much too large for the fancy flips and spins that Haru could do. He had tried, but after almost squishing his best friend once, Makoto had decided that just jumping out of the water was fine.

Recovering from the graceless landing, Makoto spun in the water and dove deep again. He then rocketed up, Haru joining his side at the last moment, and the two of them soared out of the water. In his peripheral vision, he saw Haru perform a somersault. Makoto had hardly that much flexibility, but he rolled over and entered the water on his back. Tingles ran over his shoulders from the impact, his skin stinging just a bit, but that didn't stop him from diving deep again just to rocket up and out of the water again.

Laughter bubbled from deep in his belly, spilling out into the water as he crashed down again. Even with all that was going on in his heart, even as worried as he was, he was having fun and he was content for the moment. This was more than enough to ease his troubled mind, at least for a little while. His heart swelled, feeling full and light at the same time, and he was so grateful to Haru for just being there and getting him to do this. Otherwise, he probably would have just sulked and pouted and whined about the fact that he and Sousuke hadn't made up yet. And they were going to because Makoto was going to apologize and that was that. He had a course of action so now, he would build up his courage by jumping out of the water and crashing down with his best friend.

As both Makoto and Haru were splashing down from another breach, a series of high-pitched clicks echoed through the water. Makoto spun in a circle, almost coming nose to nose with a dolphin. It clicked excitedly, spinning around him, before shooting through the water. Another dolphin rubbed against his side, also clicking, and that was when he realized that a pod of dolphins had surrounded him and Haru. Their breaching must have attracted them. After all, it wasn’t unusual for dolphins to play with merfolk. Dolphins tended to be the most playful of the sea singers, if not a bit unpredictable.

Makoto found solace in the fact that Haru was nothing like the striped creatures swimming around him. Sure, he didn't always understand him, but at least he didn't have to worry about Haru viciously attacking anything. Dolphins did seem, at least, to respect merfolk in their own weird way and that was much more like Haru. So Makoto let himself relax and swim amongst the sea singers, laughing merrily as the animals rubbed against him.

The dolphins breached with Haru, entering the water just as gracefully. The dolphin merman looked content, his face glowing, and he spun among the dolphins towards Makoto. The larger merman grinned, watching his best friend move through the water sinuously. There was just something about the way that Haru swam that always captivated Makoto. It was beautiful and effortless, as if Haru and the water were one. That wouldn’t surprise the orca merman with the way his best friend just seemed to know things about the ocean, especially with being a soul singer and all. Watching him swim was just very relaxing and comforting, at least when he wasn't darting after fish.

Haru grabbed his hands and tugged him towards the surface, his face telling him to come breach. Makoto laughed and let Haru drag him forward. But it was hardly fair to let his best friend tow him around so he gently slid his hands from his grip and jetted forwards. Haru stuck close to his side and the two of the breached with at least five dolphins. The splash of their entrance covered his laugh, but it couldn't dampen his mood. He spiraled through the dolphins, watching Haru do something similar before he prepared another breach. His smile widened as he watched, eyes tilting to the side at movement in his peripheral vision.

A few dolphins were playing with a large piece of kelp it looked like. They caught it with their pectoral fins, stealing it from each other and dashing off before one stole it back. It was rather nostalgic, actually, as Makoto had used to play a similar game with Haru, Sousuke, and the twins when they were younger. Of course, they had used a large and empty clamshell rather than a piece of seaweed, but it was a very similar game. There had been plenty of amusing moments with the game, like when Ren had dropped the shell, but when he had gone to grab it, an octopus had claimed it as its own. He could practically hear Ran's laughter at their brother's misfortune.

…actually, he _could_ hear his sister's laughter.

Makoto's head snapped up, looking around quickly. Ran and Ren shouldn't be out in the open ocean by themselves. They were too young and too inexperienced. He frowned and darted between the dolphins.

His sister's laughter continued to echo around him, followed occasionally by Ren's own giggles, but the dolphins were obscuring his vision too much. Makoto gritted his teeth, diving under one dolphin and almost bowling over his giggling siblings. At the last moment, he grabbed both of them around the waist and flipped them over a couple of times due to his momentum.

They squealed, grabbing his arms as he dodged between and under dolphins. Thankfully, his siblings seemed more amused than upset, giggling when they finally exited the excited pod of animals. His siblings didn't move from his hold, humming happily and rubbing their cheeks against his biceps. He sighed before frowning disapprovingly down at them.

"Ran, Ren, what are you doing here?" he asked sternly.

Ran blinked her blue-green eyes up at him. The color strongly reminded him of Sousuke's eyes, but Makoto valiantly pushed that thought away. Now wasn't the time.

"We were looking for you and Haru-chan!" she explained, wiggling in his grip. "Don't worry! Sou-niichan brought us!"

Makoto felt his blood chill. "S-Sou—?"

"It was more them bringing me out here, actually."

He hated the shiver that went through him at the sound of that deep voice. Slowly, he lifted his gaze from his siblings' smiles and met the cool eyes of Sousuke. The whale shark merman floated a few feet away from them, probably about two strong tail strokes away. His face was set in an all too familiar neutral, though Makoto had spent enough time with him to know that the tension in his jaw betrayed his anxiety.

Makoto swallowed.

"I…see," he managed to say, wincing at how thin his voice sounded. "Um…S-Sou—."

"Ah! Haru-chan!" Ren called happily.

The twins wiggled out of his grip, not that Makoto was really holding them tightly anymore. Not with Sousuke in front of him and his mind inconveniently blank and panicking. He had had a plan. He had a plan all laid out to apologize and fix things and he couldn't remember a thing. It was because Sousuke was the one who came to him, the one who was floating awkwardly in the water, teal eyes looking up at him from under long lashes. Makoto had thought that his mate would be too angry with him still to come and find him, but here he was.

The orca merman swallowed nervously. Dropping his gaze from Sousuke's, he rubbed his arm awkwardly. His mind unhelpfully summoned the memory of Tohru's fingers moving over his skin, her fingertips sliding gently and reverently. A chill shook him at the thought, the desire to feel that again filling his stomach. He felt horrible for thinking that with Sousuke right there, but the thought had formed and stubbornly sat in the corner of his mind like an unwanted family member.

A current of water pushed against his chest, followed by a familiar hand grabbing his. Makoto snapped his head up, cheeks warming at the proximity of Sousuke. The whale shark merman looked concerned as his eyes searched his face. Anxiety flashed behind those teal depths and in that moment, Makoto realized that his hand was trembling.

Sousuke spoke before he could, inquiring, "Are you all right?"

Affection swelled in his chest and the orca merman bobbed his head in a nod, a smile lifting up his mouth.

"Yes, I'm okay," he answered. He took a breath and bumped his forehead against Sousuke's, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've…I should've been more thoughtful. I just…I'm so sorry, Sousuke."

He felt Sousuke cup his cheek, leaning into his touch as much as he could without breaking the contact between their foreheads. It felt so nice to touch like this again. He had never realized just how cold the ocean was until he didn't have Sousuke's touch warming his heart.

"Hey," Sousuke murmured thickly. "Makoto, look at me. Please?"

Makoto blinked open his eyes, surprised by the rueful expression on his mate's face. His chest tightened.

"Sou?" he asked softly, lifting his hand to Sousuke's shoulder.

"Why are you apologizing?" the other merman asked, nudging his forehead. "You were just… You were excited, Makoto. I know that you find humans fascinating. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you. It was childish and stupid and I…I was…"

He sighed heavily, eyes closing. His face was tense, eyebrows furrowing. Makoto didn't want him to look like that so he bumped their noses together, trailing the tip of his nose against the arch of Sousuke's. Bubbles danced between them as Sousuke sighed again.

"If you were scared, that's understandable," Makoto spoke up, still talking softly. His gazed drifted to his right shoulder. He rubbed his thumb against the rough skin, watching faint lines glitter into existence as the sunlight shifted. "I was stupid to forget something like that."

"Makoto…"

"I can have Haru tell them that…that we can't see them anymore," he continued, eyes still focused on the shimmering scar. "That we…that someone in town found out and wanted us to stop. It's…It's not a lie because someone surely has noticed and…and I don't want…if you're uncomfortable, I don't want…"

"Makoto."

He looked up at that stern tone, looked up into those beautiful teal eyes, and felt like he couldn't breathe. His chest tightened around his heart, which thudded against his ribcage like it was trying to get out and slap some sense into him. A passing whimsy shouldn't ruin something he had built over years.

"I don't want to fight about it anymore," he whispered in a shaky, cracking voice. "I don't want to hurt you anymore…"

Sousuke rubbed his cheek with his thumb, bringing up his other hand so that he was cradling Makoto's face. Guilt curled in the furrow between his eyebrows and clouded the jewels of his eyes. He opened his mouth, but closed it after a moment, grimacing.

Bubbles trailed between them as he tried again. "I don't want you to stop doing something you enjoy, Makoto. You enjoy spending time with the humans. You enjoy spending time with _her_."

Heat pooled in his cheeks, but Makoto couldn't argue. He wanted to, but her couldn’t. Because Sousuke was right about that. He did enjoy spending time with Tohru. He just…hadn’t wanted to admit that to his mate.

He squeezed his eyes shut because he couldn't look away, couldn't tilt his head away, not with the warm palms against his cheeks.

"I…I do enjoy spending time with Tohru, but…but if _you're_ uncomfortable being around the humans, I don't want to enjoy it," he said, hunching his shoulders. He curled his hands against his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. "I…I want you to enjoy it too and if you _can't_ , then I—."

"Makoto!" Sousuke snapped and the anger in his voice forced the orca merman to look at him. His expression wasn't enraged, thankfully. He just looked guilty and that hurt more than anger could have. "You're so fucking selfless. I can't take it sometimes. I _want_ to enjoy spending time with the humans. Tohru is…fun…and interesting. What happened to me… Look, I…I came out here because I didn't want to fight anymore, too. I...I wanted to apologize and…and I… Ugh, why is this so hard? And I want to…get over my fear. So help me, Makoto. Help me get over my fear."

"S-Sousuke…" Makoto murmured, feeling his heart fill his throat. He swallowed. "Sousuke, I…okay. I…I'll do my best."

A smile cut through the frustration on Sousuke's face. Makoto always liked his smiles since they were so rare. They were beautiful, though, very much so and part of him wanted to hoard them away.

His own smile was shaky in response, but it turned into laughter when Sousuke wrapped him in his arms and spun them around. His mate laughed along with him, the rich tones vibrating in the water, before he slowed to a stop and pulled him into a tight hug. His sigh vibrated against his gills as Sousuke nuzzled his collarbone.

"I love you," he breathed.

Makoto smiled warmly, running his fingers through his hair. "I love you too."

Sousuke lifted his head, bumping their noses together. He hummed softly, a small smile still on his lips. His eyes fluttered closed as he kept the two of them in place, the faint swishing of his tail tickling Makoto's own tail. A small rumble vibrated in Sousuke's chest and Makoto giggled at the faint noise. His mate buried his grin against his shoulder.

Heavens above, had he missed this.

"Did you make up?" a calm voice asked, successfully cutting their moment short.

Sousuke huffed, but his pleasant smile remained on his face when he tilted his face towards Haru. The vibration surprisingly didn’t stop like it usually did.

Makoto chuckled sheepishly and let his hands drop to his mate's chest.

"Yes," he admitted, blushing at the cheers from his siblings. "Sorry, Haru."

His best friend shrugged, looking impassive except for the soft sparkle in his eyes. The deep blue depths glittered warmed before they turned a steely cobalt as they slipped to Sousuke. Haru crossed his arms.

Nervous energy prickled down Makoto's spine at the sight.

"And the humans?" he asked quietly.

Haru's voice was flat, almost emotionless. Makoto knew better, of course, because the dolphin merman had seemed almost sad whenever he told him about what Rin and Tohru had done. Nevertheless, the tone had the larger merman leaning a little protectively towards Sousuke.

"I suppose I have to apologize for my outburst," Sousuke groaned resignedly, stroking Makoto's back.

"You were rude," Haru countered. He lifted his nose. "Tohru and Rin were greatly upset."

"W-Were they?" Makoto asked nervously. Haru hadn't mentioned that before!

His best friend winced a little and sighed, shoulders slumping. "Upset is a…strong word. They were…shocked. And worried."

The orca merman grimaced, keeping the distressed whimper inside since his siblings were present. His muscles locked up. His. Siblings. Were. _Present_.

" _Haru_!" he hissed, his eyes widening.

Haru frowned before wincing again. They both turned their gazes to the wide-eyed stares of Ran and Ren.

"You met _humans_!?" Ran exclaimed, slapping her hands to her cheeks in wonder.

"And you know their _names_?" Ren breathed, covering his mouth.

Sousuke growled a curse under his breath.

Makoto swallowed nervously.

Oops.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time, no see! I'm sorry this chapter took so long. School was hectic and it was hard to find my motivation for writing, which was why this chapter took so long to come out. I hope you enjoy it!

Two days had passed since Makoto and Sousuke had made up, but this was the first time they were going to visit the humans. Haru had kept checking on them, though there was something about his thoughtful expression whenever he returned that piqued Makoto's curiosity. Whenever he asked, though, his best friend simply shrugged and murmured that he was unsure himself. Understandably, that didn't sit well with him.

Nevertheless, Makoto didn't dwell on it. Haru had his mysteries and sometimes, no matter what he said, his best friend didn't share them. This was one of those times, which was why he spent more of his time trying to convince his siblings not to follow them. They had become a nuisance, sneaking after him whenever he left the town, either to hunt or to patrol. He couldn’t even look in a direction without a black tail speeding by in his peripheral. Sure, he had scolded them for it, since they were pretty easy to catch, but they just increased the delay of his apology to Tohru and Rin. Convincing his siblings to do just about anything they didn't want to do was a chore, though. Ran got that stubborn look in her eye and Ren pouted with the puppy dog eyes and if Makoto wasn't worried about Sousuke and his reaction, he would have been more easily swayed. Thankfully, after what seemed like a hundred denials, his siblings grudgingly agreed not to follow them.

Makoto didn't trust them.

He kept glancing behind him as he followed Haru to the usual location of the boat, expecting to see a pair of black tails spiraling behind a random rock, scattered though they were. There were no tails, but that still didn't stop him from looking over his shoulder.

"Makoto, they're not following us," Sousuke spoke up after the tenth or fiftieth time Makoto turned.

"I know, but I'm just worried that they're _hiding_ ," he responded with a grimace. "Ugh, I can't believe I just blurted that out."

"To be fair, it _was_ Haruka's fault," his mate said with a shrug. He grinned at the angry click from in front of them. "It was!"

Haru huffed and sped forward.

"Honestly, you two," Makoto sighed. He watched his best friend speed away before he murmured, "Sousuke. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Sousuke hummed. "Well, we'll see. It was rather…emotional of me to jump between opinions of them so fast."

"You were scared, though!" Makoto argued.

"I know, but it doesn't dismiss my behavior," the other merman responded, turning towards him. "I was upset and took my anger out on you and scared Rin and Tohru."

"But…"

Sousuke stopped swimming and Makoto had to swim back to him. He was frowning, arms crossed.

"Makoto, you're worrying too much," he soothed, taking his hand when he was close enough. "You want to see them. I want to apologize. I also want to get over my fear. Didn't we have an argument over this?"

"I hate when you do that," the orca merman grumbled, letting his mate entice him closer.

Sliding his arms around his waist, the larger merman grinned. "Do what?"

"Simplify everything and make it make sense," Makoto groused, wrinkling his nose. "You make me feel silly."

"Well, you were being silly," Sousuke teased, brushing their noses together. "Everything will be okay, all right? Haruka's waiting."

"Fine. Okay. I trust you, y'know?" the smaller merman mumbled. He pecked his mate on the lips.

A throaty hum answered him and a couple more pecks followed before Sousuke took his hand and pulled him towards a faintly dark shape in the distance. A pleasant warmth had descended into his chest and Makoto found himself much calmer than before. He didn’t even look behind them in the short span it took to reach Haru, who was bobbing not too far away with a poorly hidden half-smile. Once they were near enough, the dolphin merman spun around and continued forward. Makoto smiled softly.

Everything was going to be all right. Even though anxiety curled in his stomach, even though he felt like he was trembling sometimes, everything was going to be all right. They would apologize and then things could go back to sparkling eyes and curious questions. And maybe Sousuke would more at ease than he had been. That would make everything perfect.

Makoto was still smiling by the time they were within breaching distance to the boat. Excitement was building in his chest, but something odd began to dampen it. He cocked his head curiously, using Sousuke’s hand to make sure he didn’t stop. There was a strange clicking noise echoing through the water that seemed to be coming from the boat. The sound was out of place with its metallic echo, disorienting him somewhat the closer they were. Chills spilled down his spine, so much so that the orca merman stopped cold in the water. Sousuke jerked to a stop next to him.

"Makoto?" he asked softly.

Makoto frowned. Haru was looking at him, but the expression wasn't quite right on his face. He didn't look confused, but he did look worried, though Makoto couldn’t tell if it was for him or for something else. Those dark blue eyes widened after a moment of thoughtful staring. This new expression didn’t sit well with Makoto. Especially when Haru whipped around to face the boat again just as something large fell into the water.

The clicking became a steady thrum.

Bubbles began to spill from the end of the boat.

A familiar cold sunk to the bottom of Makoto's stomach, numbing him from the inside out. His teeth clicked together as he tried to talk, but he couldn't move or do anything until he felt his arm jostle.

His eyes widened.

"SOUSUKE!" he screamed, bolting after the other merman.

He had never seen his mate swim so fast.

Haru was neck and neck with him as they raced through the water.

Time seemed surreal. It was fast and it was slow and everything was happening at once and not at all. Makoto watched as his mate tackled something away from the end of the boat, twisting away from the bubbles. Haru lunged to the side of the boat and jumped straight out of the water. Makoto felt like he wasn't moving at all.

The bubbles and thrumming abruptly stopped.

His heart pounded as he swam towards his mate's tail. He could tell if he was scared or numb or in shock, only that his heart was tight and everything felt heavy and light and his head seemed to be spinning. Right now, confirming that Sousuke was all right was the only thing that was keeping him from sinking to the bottom of the ocean. He didn't even notice the legs pressed against Sousuke until Makoto lurched out of the water to hug him.

"Whoa! Makoto, I'm fine, I'm fine!" his mate exclaimed as he buried his nose in his neck. "Easy, easy!"

He shook his head, faintly trembling against his mate's back. His ear-fins still tingled with the thrumming of the boat's propeller and, even though Sousuke was in his arms, Makoto remembered crimson clouds inside a dark room. He remembered unfocused eyes and a tired smile. He remembered a slurred voice asking for no scars. His stomach rolled at the memories and he tightened his grip.

Something moved under his arms and Makoto reluctantly lifted his head to meet hazel eyes. His worried heart increased its incessant beat sevenfold and his face heated unhappily. He leaned over Sousuke's shoulder worriedly, peering into the pale face of Tohru.

"Are you okay?" he asked sharply, frowning.

"I..." Tohru's lips wobbled and her own cheeks became blotchy red. She ducked her head. "I'm o-okay."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sousuke growled. "You just fell in front of your boat's propeller."

His shoulders and muscles moved under Makoto's arms and Tohru squeaked when the larger merman pulled her more securely into his embrace. Her cheek rested against the orca merman's arms, where Makoto could feel the heat of her blush against his skin.

She squirmed a little, but didn't fight too much. From the way her shoulders hunched, though, she looked uncomfortable and unsure. Maybe she wasn't used to being held like this. The thought worried him.

"Tohru, are you okay?" Makoto repeated more softly, gently nudging her cheek with his forearm.

"That...That was scary," she finally mumbled in a small voice. Tremors shook her. "I was just trying to see if something was caught on the propeller. Rin had turned the boat _off_!"

"There was a clicking noise," he reported with a frown. "Coming from your boat."

"I didn't even notice," Sousuke murmured. He inclined his head towards the human woman in his arms. "Hey, it's okay that you were scared. That was a really frightening experience."

She made a weird noise, like she was sniffing too hard, and brought a hand up to her face. She rubbed the heel of her palm against her cheek and eye, hiccoughing the whole while. Makoto’s heart gave a sad lurch. He wanted to take her somewhere to protect her, but he couldn’t rightly take her anywhere since she couldn’t breathe underwater. Instead, he watched in mild fascination at her movements, wondering why she was rubbing her face like that. Was it some kind of human way to calm down? It was interesting way of doing it, unless humans were similar to sharks. That would be a fascinating discovery if it turned out to be true.

Human ways aside, though, he was still worried for her. They would have time later to go over how similar a human was to a shark. Right now, Makoto should really be focusing on her wellbeing. He wiggled a hand out from under his forearm to pet her hair in hopes of soothing her.

"TOHRU!"

The shout came from behind them and Makoto jolted against Sousuke. He hissed at the rough sensation of his mate's skin pulling at his own before twisting to see Rin panting at the side of the boat. Haru's head popped up next to him.

Makoto's hand fell onto Sousuke's shoulder. He tilted his head.

"That...explains what Haru was doing," he muttered.

Rin was distressed. There was no other way to describe it. His cheeks were as red as his hair and his jaw was tense. Something wet glittered on his cheeks, sparkling in the bright sunlight, and it took Makoto a second realize it was water. It took him another second to realize that it was actually tears and that the just made him curious. He had never really seen tears before, at least not on a human's face. He glanced back at Tohru. Was she crying too?

Rin's face twisted when he saw them, though Makoto couldn’t tell just what kind of emotion was trying to show through the desperate worry. His complexion very much stayed red, despite that, and his lips curled up into a grimace. His knuckles blanched as he gripped the railing of the boat, leaning over it.

Oh.

That was definitely anger.

"What are you fishy bastards doing?" he snarled.

Makoto shied away at his tone, slipping off Sousuke and lower into the water. An angry rumble vibrated from his mate.

"Rin, calm down," Tohru spoke up before Sousuke could. Her voice, though breathless, was firm. "Sousuke saved me. I'm shaken, but okay."

"Oh, so they just conveniently decide to show up _now_?" he retorted. He leaned further forward. "What about that spectacular departure last time? With the clicks and shit?"

"Haru-san already explained!" she argued, her pitch rising. "Rin, be reasonable!"

"How can I be reasonable when you almost died?" he snapped, thumping the railing with his fist. He sunk down until his head was in his arms.

The anger dissipated from his voice with the sound of a muffled sob. His shoulders shook faintly.

Haru, surprisingly, put a hand on his shoulder, looking worried and mildly uncomfortable. Rin tensed at the contact, but didn't move to shake it off. Instead, a shudder passed through him and his shoulders bounced. Hiccoughs faintly popped into the air.

"Rin," Tohru called beseechingly.

More hiccoughs filled the air.

"Come on," Sousuke urged softly, twisting slowly in the water. He began swimming the small distance to the boat.

Makoto followed him after a moment of hesitation. His instincts were telling him to protect his mate and Tohru from Rin’s outburst, though he knew that would only cause more trouble. Nevertheless, an agitated bubble rocked in his stomach as he swam to Sousuke’s side. The larger merman held Tohru securely in his arms, keeping her head above the water. The sight of them together somewhat eased the agitation in his stomach, but Makoto feared that there would only be more high emotions.

Tohru had slipped her arms around his mate's neck, though she was very careful to leave her arms wide for Sousuke's gills. Makoto almost wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do that, but with how emotionally charged the atmosphere was right now, it probably wasn't a good idea. However, he did gently touch her back to reassure her, wondering at the texture of the garment she wore. The fabric was softer and fit less tightly than her wetsuit.

She jumped a bit at his touch, but other than a shy glance his way, she did nothing about it. Once they were close to the boat, she reached up and tried to grab at Rin's arms. Her fingertips just barely touched his skin.

"Rin," she called softly. Her fingertips grazed him again. "Rin, I'm okay. I won't dive today, okay? Let's head home."

Makoto's stomach sank. He didn't want her to go home. Not yet. Not before he could apologize.

Rin made that sniffing noise. His voice was muffled and thick when he next spoke.

"Even though your guppies are back?" he asked and, surprisingly, Tohru sputtered.

Her cheeks became bright red, but in a different way than they had just a few minutes ago. Instead of being upset, she looked more flustered. Her fingers curled and she thumped the side of the boat.

"Will you quit it with the guppies!?" she exclaimed shrilly.

Rin laughed wetly.

Makoto tilted his head curiously.

"Guppies?" Haru echoed quietly.

Rin pointed over the side of the boat, lifting his head with a grin. His cheeks were still red and wet and his eyes were bloodshot, but he didn't look nearly as angry. He did look shaken, just a shade past pale despite the heat in his cheeks, but he was grinning. At Tohru's expense, though.

Tohru covered her face with the hand that had been thumping the side of the boat. She whined lowly.

"I hate you," she whispered.

"Are you pointing at us?" Sousuke asked and the woman in his arms whined again. He looked down at her with a frown. "Why guppies?"

"First, what _are_ guppies?" Makoto asked, glancing between the two humans.

Rin looked surprised as he wiped his cheek. "You don't know what a guppy is?"

"Guppies are freshwater fish, Rin," Tohru explained, lifting her face with a pout. "They live in South America. I don't think these guys swim upstream, let alone to another continent."

"Why do you know that?" Rin asked with a funny face. "You're a _marine_ biologist, not a freshwater one."

"Icthyology is part of marine biology."

"Now you're just making up words."

Tohru wrinkled her nose at him.

Makoto smiled softly. "I'm glad that you two are doing okay. Even with what happened."

"Other than today, yeah, I guess," the marine biologist responded, turning in Sousuke's embrace to face the orca merman. She suddenly stopped. "...what are those...?"

Her voice was soft and urgent. For a scared moment, Makoto feared that his siblings had actually followed them and were lurking underneath the surface. Her gaze, however, didn't go past Sousuke's shoulder. A frown pulled down her lips as she brought her hand up to touch his skin.

Pale lines glittered under the sunlight. They grew bolder until they were stark white against his gray skin the longer she stared.

Makoto shifted closer, a familiar ache throbbing in his belly. He gently placed his hand next to Tohru's, letting his fingertips trail against one scar. It felt like years since he had last seen those scars in such a blatant display. It _had_ been years since he had last saw them. The healed skin was smooth in comparison to the spotted gray around it and Makoto couldn’t help stroking his fingers lovingly over them.

"The reason why I'm afraid of humans," Sousuke murmured lowly.

Tohru turned to look at him, her mouth opening in surprise. She looked greatly concerned, but before she could ask anymore, he surprisingly pressed his forehead to hers. Her cheeks reddened at the contact and a squeak passed her lips.

Makoto gaped.

Sousuke shied away from intimacy, even with him, and here he was pressing his forehead to a _human_ woman’s forehead. The orca merman wasn’t sure if he was actually dreaming now. His mind spun.

" _Oi_ ," Rin growled.

Tohru ignored him. Her cheeks were rosy. "What happened?"

"What almost happened to you," Sousuke explained softly. "A propeller."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Her thumb rubbed against one of the scars. "...I didn't see them before."

"I didn't want you to."

She looked up at him, breaking the contact between their foreheads. She frowned thoughtfully and her gaze didn't waver from his face. Even though she still was blushing, her expression was serious as she contemplated him. He met her gaze with his own stoic one steadily, matching the seriousness in her face. Neither spoke for what felt like an eternity.

The intensity between them unsettled Makoto's stomach. He didn't think he was jealous, he hoped he wasn't jealous, but he found himself agitatedly shifting in the water. He didn't want to dive down because he didn't want to leave either Sousuke or Tohru, but he suddenly felt like he was over full with energy. He wanted to simultaneously split them apart and hoard both of them away. He wanted them both to look at him intensely, but that was certainly an inappropriate desire for the current situation.

"I don't think a human seeing these would have bothered you if you're scared of us," Tohru finally spoke. Her voice was soft. "I don't think you were hiding them from me."

A bitter smile curved up Sousuke's lips. "How observant."

She dropped her gaze to his scars again, running her fingers over them. Her touch grazed the side of Makoto's hand. Lightning shot through his skin at the brush, making his cheeks warm.

"Thank you for saving me even though that must have terrified you," she murmured to Sousuke. "You didn't have to come back."

"I was rude last time," he responded. "I wanted to apologize."

"I think saving me is apology enough," she offered with a small smile.

"I would like a verbal apology," Rin spoke up then. Sousuke's gaze snapped upwards. "I mean, first you're flirting with Tohru, the next you're throwing a hissy fit. What the fuck."

Tohru's cheeks warmed again.

"Rin!" she cried, twisting to look up at him.

"I'm sorry," Sousuke immediately apologized. "I behaved badly last time and you were on the receiving end of it."

"Apology accepted." Rin nodded. "Now, give me Tohru before I filet you."

He held his arms over the side of the boat. Tohru frowned with an unimpressed leer.

"Really? And how is this going to—?" she began before shrieking in surprise.

Sousuke lifted her out of the water towards Rin with a strong grip on her waist, moving his torso more out of the water. Tohru flailed a little, her fingers gripping his forearms tightly. A high whine whistled through her teeth as she looked between her friend and Sousuke in panic.

Makoto could feel his mate’s tail moving faster to compensate for the movement, especially with Tohru’s squirming. The orca merman sighed softly. He wasn't surprised by this course of action. It fit the normal kind of reckless behavior that Sousuke was prone to do even as an adult. Still, it was unnecessary and Sousuke could hurt himself by holding all of Tohru’s weight with just his arms, so Makoto dove under the water and grabbed her legs. Another muffled shriek echoed above the water, followed by a distorted assurance that she was okay. He surfaced, successfully lifting the human woman into Rin's arms.

She squeaked surprise, though she reluctantly pulled her fingers from Sousuke to grab onto Rin. Makoto preferred that sound. It was much cuter, for one, and it meant she wasn’t nearly as fearful as before. He kept his hands on her knees as she scrambled for purchase on the boat.

After a few flailing moments, Tohru was back on the boat safely and Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. Briefly, he smiled before he dove underwater again to clear his head. His chest felt weird, like he had swum too far and too fast without a chance to breathe. It thumped painfully, but he didn't exactly feel out of breath. The weird combination of feelings from seeing Tohru and Sousuke so close together seemed to have passed, but it left the fear from seeing both of them so dangerously close to the propeller. His heart gave a painful squeeze, which caused him to close his eyes tightly.

Sousuke was okay. Tohru was okay. The propeller hadn’t hurt either of them. Tohru was on her boat and Sousuke was right next to him, his tail idly swishing back and forth in the water as he kept himself above the surface. They were safe.

Taking a breath, Makoto ran his hands through his hair before twisting to resurface. Something caught his eye in the distance, however, something dark, but when he turned to look more closely, all he saw was blue water. He narrowed his eyes, frowning, before surfacing. Hopefully that dark whatever was just a shark or seal or something. A persistent image of two bright faces hung in the back of his mind, though. His siblings were so beached if they actually had followed them.

"Haruka is still on the boat," Sousuke reported drolly once he surfaced. His mate sunk a little lower in the water next to him.

Makoto's eyes widened. "What?"

Haru poked his head over the side of the boat again. He blinked his eyes languidly down at them, looking rather bored. Something about his eyes seemed too bright and urgent to be his normal impassiveness, however. Whatever it meant, though, Makoto couldn’t tell.  

Sousuke huffed. "See?"

"Haru! What are you doing?" Makoto asked, resisting the urge to jump onto the side of the boat.

"Drying out is what!" a horrified Tohru responded. Her expression was frightened when she leaned over the railing. "But he won't leave the boat!"

His heart gave another fearful lurch.

"Haru, be reasonable!" he pleaded.

"I have something important to tell the humans," Haru simply said. He laid his chin on the railing. 

"Is it so important that you become fish jerky on my deck?" Rin snapped, leaning down behind Haru. He jumped back. "Holy fuck what are those things under your arms!?"

"Rin, focus!"

"Oh, says the woman who forgets to do her own work whenever her guppies show up."

"Rin!"

"Rin is cursed," Haru suddenly spoke up.

Everyone froze.

Tohru was staring at Haru with wide eyes and her mouth agape. She almost looked like she wanted to argue with him, but she couldn't find the words. Rin himself look shell-shocked, his skin ashen and his face slack. Haru simply sat there, his gaze firmly on Makoto, who, honestly, couldn't even begin to fathom a response.

What did he mean Rin was cursed?

"What do you mean 'cursed'?" Sousuke finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

His hand wrapped around Makoto's and squeezed.

Haru narrowed his eyes.

"There's something in his soul song?" Makoto asked, edging closer to the boat. He put a hand on the side. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Haru admitted softly. "But…"

He lifted his head and glanced at Tohru. The glance was scared and spoke volumes more than his voice could. His gaze returned to the orca merman almost remorsefully.

Makoto felt his face grow pale. The dizzy sensation of his blood draining fast had his head spinning. If it weren’t for Sousuke tightening his hold on his fingers, he might have sunk down into the water in his surprise.

"It's not…" he murmured.

Haru's eyes tightened before he turned his head away. Makoto sunk in the water, his hand slipping from his mate’s as the realization sunk in, until only his nose and above were in the air. He felt and yet didn't feel hands gently touching his arms. A shiver shook him.

"What's not?" Sousuke asked him softly. Makoto shook his head. "Makoto."

His heart and throat felt tight and he shook his head again.

"It's not…what?"

Makoto forced himself to look up at the shaky voice.

Tohru had her fingers knotted together, her face set in a pale grimace. Her eyes wavered as she looked between him and Haru. Her fingers danced together the longer neither of them spoke. Fear radiated off her in waves that even a human could feel.

He took a breath.

"The curse is affecting you," Haru spoke up before he could. "I don't understand why, but it is. It's trying to kill Rin and you're getting caught in it too."

The marine biologist's eyes widened a fraction.

"O-Oh…"

"What…What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull?" Rin snapped, his voice scarily loud. He glared viciously down at Haru. "Cursed? Is this some kind of fairytale now?"

"Rin, they're mermen," Tohru interjected weakly. "I think the fairytale ship has sailed."

"No! I will give you mermen because fucking science or whatever, but curses? Magic? That's all bullshit!" he roared. "It's not killing me and it's not killing you! There is no such thing!"

"But Rin!" she pleaded. Her friend turned his head away with a scowl. "Rin, just _listen_!"

She held out her hands imploringly.

The human man swung his arm in a wide arc and the sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the air. Tohru yelped.

Makoto tensed immediately. Next to him, a low rumble began again.

"NO!"

Tohru clutched her hands to her chest. She looked hurt for a moment, her lips wobbling, before her expression hardened. Her trembling lips curled into a scowl.

"You're just afraid!" she snapped. "And I'm afraid, too! If this curse killing us—."

"There is no curse!" Rin shouted.

"Then what about your grandfather and father!? Your great-grandfather!? What about all those pictures that your grandmother has hidden away!?" Tohru glared at him.

Rin faltered, though he still looked just as mad as before. "Coincidence."

Her shoulders sagged and the fire that once lit her face seeped out. "Coincidence that all the men in your family died young? And at sea?"

Her voice was small and tired. She rubbed her hands, dropping her gaze down to them.

Makoto felt as if he was missing a very important part to a puzzle, but even that couldn't stop him from looking worriedly up at Tohru. He wanted to help her, to comfort her, especially when it looked like her best friend was hurting her. A whine built in his throat, spilling out in a low, distressed call.

Sousuke grabbed his hand again and squeezed. His mate nuzzled his shoulder, an answering rumble vibrating against his skin. Even that couldn't sate the worry roiling in his stomach.

"All the men in my family were fishermen! How is that surprising that they would die at sea?" Rin growled with another wide had gesture.

"But young, Rin! They died young too! That's not common! We both know a lot of old men who are or were fishermen!" Tohru argued. She made a frustrated noise. "And they're all alive!"

"There is no curse!"

"I don't want you to die!" she sobbed.

Tears began spilling down her cheeks and whatever was stopping Makoto from jumping on the boat broke. He slipped into the water, slipping out of Sousuke's grasp, and dove deep. Circling under the boat, he used his momentum to speed up the surface and grab the railing of the boat. He hefted himself up, causing the boat to sway, before he unceremoniously flopped over the railing and onto the deck. His entrance received many gasps and an exasperated call of his name from Sousuke.

The orca merman smiled sheepishly, though he winced as he moved his shoulder to push himself into a better position. Being out of the water felt odd and he felt particularly clumsy, his tail hitting a lot of things as he moved. The warm air was already drying his skin, but he was more worried about Tohru to spare a thought to the repercussions of being out of the water too long.

Quick footsteps preceded said human bending next to him with a very concerned expression. He offered a more sympathetic smile and cautiously reached up a hand to cup her cheek. She didn't shy away from the touch, almost leaning into it with a sigh.

"Hi," he mumbled.

"What is with you two?" she muttered, pulling away from him. She surveyed him critically as she wiped at her tear stained cheeks. "Are you okay? Did you hit your dorsal fin? Or any fin?"

Haru pulled himself over to them with a frown. His blue eyes flashed as he glared at him. That sharp gaze said everything that his silent mouth didn’t.

"I'm fine. I just hit my shoulder falling over the railing," he responded with a nervous laugh. An angry rumble came from the other side of the boat. "I, uh, didn't actually mean to fall onto your boat. I underestimated how fast I actually was going."

"What was even your plan here?" Tohru grumbled. Her fingers trembled as she touched his sore shoulder. "I don't know enough about your metabolism to offer a painkiller. We don't have ice either."

"I was worried about you," Makoto said, hoping to draw her eyes back up. Reluctantly, they did so, though their warm hazel depths were sad and shining. He smiled softly at her. "We can help with the curse."

His response garnered a small half smile from the human woman. She dropped her hands to her lap.

"You're very kind, Makoto-san," she murmured. She glanced at Haru. "But I couldn't possibly drag you into this. I've already asked Haru-san and—."

"So you ask him to read my soul without my permission?" Rin suddenly spoke up. His voice was _furious_.

"I...I had a hunch," Tohru explained, turning to look up at her friend. Makoto looked up as well. "And my hunch was right, so—."

"So what? You have some weird fish man invade my privacy? For a _hunch_? Curses don't exist. Magic doesn't exist. It's just a god damned tragic coincidence with my family!" the human man exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "We're all stubborn and hotheaded! You of all people should be aware of that, Tohru. That's probably all that happened with their deaths!"

"Rin—."

"No. I'm turning this boat around and we're going home," he cut her off with a definitive frown. "No more talk of curses or magic or-or damn mermen! You've been reading that textbook way too much!"

The boat lurched suddenly.

Rin flailed, barely managing to stay standing, as Makoto reached out and steadied Tohru before she could fall. Haru huffed, his tail slapping the deck as the boat evened out.

"Elegant," he remarked to something behind Makoto.

The orca merman twisted to see Sousuke hanging from the railing, his chin resting on his arms. His mate was in the middle of rolling his eyes.

"Says the merman sprawled on a human's boat," he rumbled, teal eyes flashing. He turned to Makoto. "Don't think you're off the hook. Worried or not, you gave me a damn heart attack."

Makoto winced. "I'm sorry."

Sousuke sighed softly before his hard stare moved upwards. A bright, angry look burned across his face. His pupils contracted to pinpoints, the teal of his eyes almost too bright as another angry rumble echoed from his chest.

"Now, _you_ need to calm the fuck down," he growled. Splashes could be heard from the water. "You're lashing out at both your friend and us because you're scared. You're acting the same exact way as when you first saw us, except worse."

 "You want me to calm down? You, the fucking fish who had a god damned temper tantrum, want me to calm _down_?" Rin snarled, squaring his shoulders. "Oh, that's hilarious! Why the fuck do I have to listen to _you_?"

"Rin, please," Tohru begged. She sounded both tired and pleading. "Not now."

"It's fine," Sousuke told her, though his gaze never left Rin. Makoto could feel the electricity in their gazes. "You should listen because you're scaring Tohru. You should listen because you're doing the same thing I did. You should listen because then, maybe, you'll understand that Haruka might actually be able to help you. And then you won't die. Hells know we have enough human bones at the bottom of the sea."

"Sousuke," Makoto hissed in warning.

The atmosphere was tense already without his mate adding unnecessary sparks. Besides, Sousuke was supposed be getting over his fear, not antagonizing the more fearful of the two humans into anger. His actions honestly didn't make sense to the orca merman and he didn't trust they would come to fruition with any good result. Tohru was tense next to him and Rin reddened like an agitated octopus. Makoto wouldn't be surprised if he lashed out again, though if he tried to attack Sousuke, three bodies barred the way.

Makoto felt his shoulders tense. He wouldn't let any harm come to either his mate or Tohru. An agitated click vibrated in his throat.

Rin's mouth wobbled, but the glare on his face didn't lessen. He took a step away from them.

"Get off my ship," he said lowly in that scary calm that headed storms. No one moved. "NOW!"

Tohru broke the silence, scrambling to her feet at his outburst. She stood in front of Makoto and Haru’s tail, her stance wide as she faced off with her friend.

"Matsuoka Rin, you listen to me!" she shouted in a voice that Makoto could only describe as the voice of a disappointed mother. "You are behaving like a scared child! We don't understand what's going on, but Haru-san has a better understanding than we do. Give him a chance."

"I thought I said no more talk of that!" Rin roared.

"You're not my father!" she screamed back, probably to drown out whatever excuses he was going to give. Makoto was mildly terrified at the intensity of her voice. "You have no right to talk to me or the mermen like that! So, listen, god dammit! Let them help us!"

Rin took deep, quaking breaths, his face scrunched up. His cheeks were red again, almost mimicking the color of his hair and eyes. His fists trembled and shook, the tremors running up his arms. Veins bulged under his skin. Everything about his stance and face said he was going to fight. Most likely physically.

Makoto wasn't sure how he could stop a human on a boat. He couldn't really tackle him, not with his tail so useless out of the water. Sure, his muscles could allow him a rather strong strike if he needed it, but how accurate that would be was uncertain. And flailing around on the boat could injure both Tohru and Haru. There was something, however, at which he was particularly good.

"Rin, let's calm down, all right?" he asked soothingly. His voice vibrated across his lips. "You're scared and lashing out. That's scaring Tohru. Let's talk about this. _Calmly_."

The words popped across his tongue, tasting saccharine and warm as they left his lips to float through the air. Magic always tasted sweet to him since the moment he could use it. It was really the only reason he knew what 'sweet' was.

Rin visibly relaxed, his fists opening and the tremors dissipating. The flush left his cheeks, replaced with a mildly dazed expression. The very air felt calmer, softer, the tension disappearing like clouds chased away by a summer breeze.

"Okay," Rin finally said, slowly nodding. "Okay."

"Why don't you sit down? That'll help," Makoto offered softly. "Tohru, you too."

His words still vibrated slightly.

"All…All right," Tohru murmured and both she and Rin sat down right where they were standing.

"Good. Rin, what is scaring you the most?" Makoto asked, staring intently at the redhead.

The human man frowned at him. "How's that any of your business?"

"I just want to help, Rin," the merman soothed.

He layered more magic into his voice. The words tickled his lips and teeth.

"I'm scared because Tohru's getting hurt because of me," Rin said after a long moment. A confused frown curled down his lips. "Huh, I didn't realize… How did you do that?"

Makoto smiled pleasantly. "Do what?"

"Make everything click?" Rin waved his hands vaguely. "And the whole feeling like a damn Buddhist master right now. I was literally spitting angry."

"You were just afraid," he argued. He was worried how the redhead would react to magic. "I…didn't do much."

"Makoto is a great mediator," Sousuke spoke up drawlingly. "Don't worry about it."

Rin narrowed his eyes, but a glance at Tohru had him sniffing derisively.

"Fine," he grumbled. He sighed heavily. "So…how are you going to help us?"

Makoto tilted his head, frowning himself. "I…um, I'm not sure…"

"Lady Miho," Haru said firmly.

Makoto felt his face pale. "Oh, Haru, _no_."

Agitated splashes came from behind him.

"Are you out of your _mind_?" Sousuke asked in disbelief. "She'd kill us!"

"Who's Lady Miho?" Tohru asked.

"A sea witch," Haru explained. Makoto stared at him plaintively. His best friend simply stared back. "She can help."

The orca merman groaned and covered his face. "She's going to be so mad."

"Why?" Rin asked.

"Because we're not supposed to be making friends with humans? Or interacting with them at _all_?" Sousuke explained with his own dismayed groan. "Are you _sure_ we have to go to her?"

Haru huffed. Makoto knew from the sound alone that Haru was leering at Sousuke. He whined softly and sunk down until he was lying on the deck. As much as he hated it, this course of action was the only one that had any chance of yielding a good result. Lady Miho was the strongest magic user they knew, way stronger than even Haru. She would know how to deal with a soul curse.

Tentative fingers touched his forearm, their warm tips shocking against his dry skin. It was enough for him to peek out from behind his hands and look up into the concerned face of Tohru. Gods, he just wanted her smile already. Too many tears had fallen and too many frowns had curved down lips. He just wanted her happy already.

"Will she really be that angry with you?" she asked softly. "This Lady Miho?"

Makoto licked his lips. As much as he was afraid of disappointing Lady Miho, he also desperately wanted Tohru to smile again. If breaking a curse would do that, he was willing to do it.

"It'll be fine," he responded with a smile. He ignored the snort behind him. "Lady Miho will understand."

"I don't want you guys getting hurt because of us," Tohru insisted.

"She's right. If this will get you guys in trouble—," Rin began.

"The cursed party doesn't get a vote," Sousuke cut him off. He sighed. "I better come up with an excuse for her. And it's going to have to be _good_."

He didn't look particularly thrilled about that. Makoto honestly couldn't blame him. Lady Miho had the uncanny ability to draw the truth from someone, no matter how much planning and practice went into said excuse. The three mermen had all experienced her steady gaze at one point in their life and Makoto could still sometimes feel the incredulity of her eyes on his skin when he lied. It was not going to be fun, but it had to be done.

Makoto tilted his head back towards Tohru and Rin. They still were concerned, still unsure, but there was a hope in the marine biologist's eyes that he didn't want to fail. He smiled encouragingly.

"Don't worry," he reassured them. He touched Tohru's worrying hands. "It'll be okay."

She smiled shyly back at him. "All right."

And he was sure it would be.

He hoped.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've had this done for about a couple weeks or so now? But I'm in my senior year of college so things are hectic with a lot of reading and writing and analyzing so it leaves me creatively drained by the end of the day and it's hard finding my motivation when I just want to become a vegetable half the time. But! I'm still writing Whale Tales when I can so, please enjoy this chapter! Things are starting to look up! 
> 
> Thank you for all those who stayed with the story and welcome to any new readers! :)
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Makoto has an anxiety attack in the early part of the chapter and it's graphic in detail. It's right in the beginning so you can quickly skip it if need be.

Makoto wrung his hands nervously, drifting between the caves and coral beds that served as homes for his town. Fish swam lazily around him, a particularly large grouper standing guard in front of one cave. The fish didn't move as he floated past, but he couldn't help worriedly glancing down at it. Groupers were aggressive fish and if any of the young children got too close, it might bite them. Still, the mermaid who lived there liked the protection, even if it posed a danger to others.

The thought terribly reminded him of Tohru and Rin, his own personal danger to others. Though maybe it was more to himself at this point since he was about to bring Haru's findings to Lady Miho. No matter how much he had reassured the humans, he still felt vaguely like his life was on the line. What didn't help his anxiety was the tardiness of his two cohorts. Haru could explain the curse better, or at least his take on it, and Sousuke was supposed to give his explanation on how their friendship even began, given his circumstances.

He sighed heavily, bubbles flurrying around his head. His head and heart hurt from worrying. He just wanted to get this done with already so he could go back to just enjoying the humans' presence with his best friend and his mate. Shaking with frustration, Makoto ran his fingers through his hair and glanced up at a familiar click.

"You're late," he whined, dropping his hands to meet Haru and Sousuke.

His mate immediately crowded into his space, nuzzling his cheeks and hair. Makoto leaned into the touches with another sigh. Sousuke always could tell when he was particularly agitated and would always cuddle him until he calmed down. There was no time for cuddles today, however.

Still, the kisses didn't stop as Makoto looked over his mate's shoulder to Haru. The other merman was rolling in his eyes, though he did look worried when he finally met his gaze. A sigh gently blew against his cheek when he didn’t reciprocate the flurry of kisses. Then again, his mate never did care if he got kisses or not. Sousuke much preferred to give attention than receive it. Makoto was still working on that with him.

"We should probably go," Sousuke said softly. "The sooner we do, the more likely you’ll calm down."

The idea that he could even be calm when his two humans were on the verge of dying was laughable. Indeed, Makoto laughed shrilly, accidentally releasing several waves of echolocation around them. Haru winced and Sousuke stiffened in response, matching looks of pain on their faces.

The orca merman stiffened, stuttering an apology, before his shoulders sagged and he leaned against Sousuke again. His breath wavered between them and sad, tiny bubbles wobbled upwards. His mate rested his cheek against his head with a soft whine. Strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him tight against the other's chest. A different pair of hands rubbed gently up his back and he shuddered. Anxiety rolled and crashed inside his chest and heart and stomach. He almost felt like he was drowning, as his breaths sped up and the crashing anxiety became burning, fiery tightness. Black spots flickered in his vision.

Deft fingers lifted his chin and Sousuke appeared among the mutable black spots. Another shrill noise escaped his throat, sounding pained and desperate, and teal wavered worriedly. His throat and chest were hot, but the rest of him was cold as he fumbled for a hold on his mate. Hands cupped his cold cheeks.

"Breathe," his mate intoned softly. "Makoto, angelfish, breathe with me."

"I-I c-c-can't—." He shook his head. That only made the black spots worse.

"Yes, you can," Sousuke insisted. "I know you can. Just follow me."

He inhaled. Shakily, Makoto copied him, though his lungs protested angrily and he started coughing violently. His chest tightened and another distressed trill burst from his throat. He tried ducking his head to butt against Sousuke's chest, but his mate's caress was firm on his cheeks. Thumbs brushed his skin soothingly, encouraging his stinging eyes to stare weakly up at his mate.

Sousuke took another breath. Makoto copied him again. It fought against his throat, but he was able to hold onto it until Sousuke breathed out. The breath sputtered from his lips, barely a breath, but it was something. He forced himself to take another, watching his mate, following the slow and steady rise of his chest and shoulders. The black spots didn't dance as much now, though his chest still felt fiery. Nevertheless, he ignored the discomfort, ignored the tightening of all his insides, and mimicked his mate's stable breathing.

He didn't know how long they floated there, breathing together, waiting as his anxiety and panic slowed to a crawl, waiting for his body to sag forwards when his anxious panic finally fled. His forehead nuzzled against Sousuke's and a soft sigh bubbled between them. Makoto wrapped his arms around his mate's chest and closed his eyes, still breathing deeply. Everything hurt. Well, hurt was a strong word, but he felt drained and exhausted. A strong urge to sleep tugged him to return home so he could pass out for hours. However, his anxiety buzzed sluggishly in his mind and a weak sigh interrupted his breathing.

Cautious hands rubbed up his back again, a tiny click following. Tiredly, Makoto tilted his head a little and cracked open one eye to find Haru peering worriedly at him. His blue eyes were wide and scared and the larger merman tried for a reassuring smile for him. Haru's expression twisted, contracting into a grimace of almost anguish. The dolphin merman surged forward to rub his head and cheek against Makoto's, even with Sousuke's proximity. The largest merman huffed softly, but dropped his hands to massage around Makoto's gills. Haru nuzzled him more insistently when his mate's hands left.

Makoto sputtered a weak laugh. "H-Haruuu…"

"Worried," his best friend muttered, still nuzzling him.

"Your gills are flared," Sousuke grumbled with an annoyed scowl. His eyes spoke volumes of the worry and fear hidden behind his agitation.

"Sorry," Makoto mumbled, tilting his head a little to let him massage more.

"Gods, don't-don't _apologize_ ," Sousuke begged and his voice was so strained and _raw_. His face scrunched up with emotion. "Angelfish, it's not your fault. We know this happens sometimes. Don't _ever_ blame yourself for this."

"But I…I can't _stop_ it," he whimpered.

Haru rubbed forcefully against his cheek before leaning away. His hands cupped his face and turned him his way, blue eyes flashing.

"Listen to your mate, Makoto," he instructed. His voice wavered. "You're anxiety is too strong sometimes. This isn't your fault. It's just how you are."

Makoto gritted his teeth, his cheeks burning. "It's not how I _want_ to be."

A gentle kiss brushed his sternum.

"It is a part of you, however," Sousuke murmured. "And I will always help you with it. I'm your protector."

With Haru's hands still on his face, Makoto turned to his mate. The burning that had once seared his insides became a much more pleasant warmth, the fuzzy and delightful kind that came with love. He huffed softly as his best friend’s hands disappeared, only to rub soothingly between his shoulder blades.

"I'm your protector too," he mumbled with a pout that only morphed into a soft smile at Sousuke's own warm smile.

His mate gently brushed their noses together as his eyes fluttered closed.

"Better?" he whispered.

Makoto hummed, closing his eyes as well. "Mmhm."

"Good," Sousuke murmured back. He stroked his cheeks. "Why don't you go home and sleep? Haruka and I can explain everything to Lady Miho."

The orca merman reared back, eyes flying open to glower at his mate. Technically, the whole affair with Tohru and Rin was his fault. Had he not felt the need to check every boat to see if the humans they saved were on it, they would have never gotten into this situation. They would have never had to follow him onto the boat. They would have never become so attached to them if he hadn't insisted on going back to visit them, to visit a girl with sparkling eyes and dazzling curiosity.

Makoto swished his tail agitatedly. Haru and Sousuke couldn't go by themselves. They were horrible at speaking and explaining things in significant detail anyway.

"No. I'm coming too," he insisted.

Sousuke frowned. "Makoto, don't be stubborn."

"No, it's _my_ fault that we became friends with them," the brunet merman pressed, spreading his hands pleadingly. "It's the least I can do."

Exasperation coated his mate's face that continued to look increasingly incredulous. That was probably because Makoto could feel himself swaying and not along with the currents. Still, his exhaustion couldn't stop him, not with this. After they talked to Lady Miho, after they checked up on the humans, he would let himself rest, but right now he was not going to let Sousuke and Haru guilt him into staying out of it.

Haru floated into his line of sight, arms crossed over his chest. He looked just as incredulous as Sousuke and maybe twice as annoyed. His blue eyes pulsed in the sunlight.

"Makoto—," he began lowly.

" _No_ , Haru. Please, let me do this," Makoto begged. "I'm just as involved as, if not _more_ so than, you two are. I'm not backing down."

"Stubborn," Haru spat accusingly.

Sousuke scowled. "Don't back down!"

The smaller merman glared at him. "What? Do you want me to soul sing him back home?"

Fear and anger mixed on the whale shark merman's face. He turned to face Haru completely, a familiar ripple of magic pulsing through the water. His best friend tensed and lowered his arms until they floated akimbo to his body.

The water suddenly felt too still, too cold. The grouper scurried into a cave with a cloud of sand. The other fish that had been lazily swimming around disappeared in panicked zigzags. The sunlight, on the other hand, fluttered and flittered through the water without disturbance, rippling with the currents. For the crackle in the water, those beams of light were much too innocent.

Makoto immediately wedged himself between his two friends. His back was to Haru, who was honestly the more dangerous option, but he knew that Sousuke was dangerous himself, especially with his lowered reserves of magic. That usually led to a short, but deadly explosion. No one really needed to deal with that now. Honestly, he didn’t want or need to deal with that now.

"Sousuke, Haru, please calm down!" Makoto cried. He placed his hands on his mate's chest and pushed gently. Magic crackled against his palms. "I'll rest later, okay? Just…Just let me come with you to Lady Miho."

Sousuke's pupils were so small. There was so much teal that his eyes seemed to glow as he stared down at him. Instead of the warm water around them, though, those pools of blue-green felt more like ice. For a moment, everything felt suspended, as if even the currents were holding their breaths. The snarl on his face eased to a displeased frown and a ripple of calm chased away the suspense. He squeezed his eyes shut and the crackling eased against the orca merman’s skin.

Makoto bumped their foreheads together, softly clicking. He got a low, somewhat angry rumble in response. That was better than a snarl.

"You're going to want to check on the humans," Sousuke grumbled.

"I am," he agreed sheepishly. "If…If Lady Miho can tell us anything, I want to let them know."

"Makoto…"

"Please, Sousuke?" He nuzzled his mate's nose.

"I'm against this, but Haruka's right. You're stubborn," the other merman growled. He sighed heavily a moment layer.  "Let's go."

He took Makoto's hand and led the way to Lady Miho's home. It sat at the edge of town, by far the largest structure the town had. The lady had built it years ago, way before any of them had been born, from the remains of an ancient reef and the rocks that lined the bottom of the sea. New corals and anemones had grown on it, creating a colorful beacon just on the edge of a drop off into open ocean. As per usual, schools of fish hovered around the old house, their scales glittering in the filtered sunlight. For whatever reason, schooling fish tended to huddle around the sea witch's house. No one was sure why they did, the running rumor being that they felt safe, but Lady Miho didn't seem to mind the flocks of small fish churning above her abode.

The school of fish shifted as the three of them approached the stone structure, curving away from them but not moving from their cloud above the sea witch's home. A reef shark slept in the garden of anemones and sea grass that grew in the backyard. It shifted when they swam above it, but other than curving away from them, it did nothing else. Makoto watched it curiously before dragging his eyes to the heavy curtain covering the doorway. The material was green with algae, though crimson patches showed through where some brave fish had started grazing. Usually, it wasn't so foreboding, almost comical with its empty patches, but usually Makoto wasn't there to ask the sea witch's help with humans. He rubbed his arm nervously.

Sousuke swam forward, taking the frontal place, and called out, "Lady Miho, we need to talk to you."

The curtain stirred and the sea witch poked her head out. She smiled brightly at them and pushed the curtain fully open. Her dainty pink fins fluttered in the current as she exited, the peachy tones in the rest of her tail shimmering. Her shell necklace clacked as she floated in front of them.

"And what can I do for our brave protectors?" Lady Miho asked warmly. Her gaze trailed over them, though her eyebrows flew up when she returned her gaze to Sousuke. "Your scars are showing."

Makoto looked worriedly at Sousuke, who cleared his throat awkwardly. The larger merman shifted in the water, bringing a hand up to rub his neck. His tail swished with a little too much force.

"I figured I should…try and overcome my fear," he finally admitted and immediately, Lady Miho was frowning, her eyebrows furrowed over her eyes.

Makoto swallowed in panic.

"And…how are you going about that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well…" Sousuke took a breath. "It's…a bit of a story…"

***

"Guess what I got!" Tohru gushed when she met Rin at the pier.

The sun was slowly rising in the sky, as it was still relatively early in the day, and from the heat it bore, it promised to be hot. Thankfully, a pleasant breeze blew in from the ocean, which should help cool them. Sunlight danced on the water, only interrupted by the ripples caused by the wind. The small waves rocked the docked ships and boats, which creaked a little as they moved.

Rin stood from his bent position, where he had been messing around with something in the deck box no doubt. He looked confused, but held out a hand for Tohru to help her onto the boat. She grinned brightly at him, even though he looked skeptical and drawn. The knowledge of the curse hung heavily on him, but as he did for her, she was trying to distract him from it.

"What?" he asked finally, sitting down on the deck box.

Tohru pulled out an envelope from her bag with a flourish. She held it out to him.

"My grant proposal was accepted," she explained excitedly. "I now have the funds to study the reefs around Okinawa for any residual effects from the Chinese island building in the East China Sea."

Rin's eyebrows went up and a grin formed on his face. He actually looked happy for her and that made her heart squeeze in a new kind of giddiness. The curse had scared him so bad. Honestly, it scared her too, but she had faith that the mermen could help them find a solution. If she could bring a smile to his face, even with something that brought her closer to the ocean, she was going to jump on that chance.

"That's great!" Rin exclaimed. "Have you talked to grump-a-frump about it yet?"

"I go on a career break two days from now," she responded with her own grin. She replaced the envelope in her bag. "I have this last data to collect about the stingray population and then a buffer day before I can start. Thankfully, Nagisa-kun and Rei-kun are back now, though I'm not too sure how much they're suffering from jetlag."

"Where did they go again? Hawaii?" he asked as he moved to undo the rope securing _The Shark_ to the dock. He paused. "Wait, no. Hawaii was their wedding."

"They went to Paris because it was romantic," she responded with a small smile. "From Nagisa-kun's Snapchat story, though…they didn't stay in Paris for long."

She felt only mildly jealous.

Even when the storm hit, she and Rin hadn't taken off despite their respective workplaces offering leave. They were both stubborn like that. Well, stubborn and work helped heal the trauma of stormy waves and dark skies. Besides, they wouldn’t know what to do if their works had forced them to take a break. Other than visiting their families back in Iwatobi, the only other place either was willing to visit in a short time was Australia and even that would take a lot of back and forth.

Thankfully, at least for their sanities, their jobs hadn’t forced them. They didn't have to runaway either place. Neither of them was going to let a storm beat them. That was why Tohru had remained in house at Churaumi and Rin had done more deskwork than he ever had before in that amorphous month where the insurance company processed Rin's claim. Certainly, it wasn’t what their favorite form of work, at least in Rin’s case, but it kept them from becoming stir-crazy.

Rin threw an incredulous look over his shoulder as he tugged on the rope's knot. "Where the hell did they get more money from?"

Tohru shrugged, leaning over the side of the boat. "Rei-kun makes a lot as an engineer. He only part times at the aquarium."

Her best friend clicked his tongue. "I should've went into engineering."

"Didn't you make a lot with swimming?"

A finger pointed upwards sharply before it lowered into a point at her. "Fair."

Tohru allowed a smug smile to form on her face and then took a few steps back. The boat swayed as Rin tossed the rope onboard, following it shortly after. He made his way over to the helm. She followed him into the cabin.

"Are you okay to take me out?" she asked belatedly.

Her friend leveled a mildly insulting look at her.

"We need to see if your guppies have found anything," he answered, turning back to the controls. Lowly, he grumbled, "If there really is a damn curse…"

Tohru knotted her fingers together at that. She supposed it was a long shot to have Rin immediately get over the curse. Her acceptance was fragile itself, balancing on a careful combination of ignorance and trust in the mermen. Nevertheless, she was trying to look on the positive side of things, if there even was a positive side when a curse was trying to kill both her and her best friend. As they seemed to keep narrowly missing death, if only because of the mermen, there seemed to be a bright side after all.

If only she could plant the idea in Rin's mind, maybe he wouldn't be as defensive. Or quiet. That probably bothered her more than his screaming the previous day. A brooding Rin often spelled trouble and trouble wasn't anything they needed right now.

With a sigh, she sat down and dropped her bag at her feet. Her fingers took to wringing the strap instead of each other, spinning the material between each digit and undoing it again. The air felt heavy with unsaid words.

"…I know you don't believe in the curse," she finally said softly. Her eyes remained on the twining of her fingers and the strap of her bag. "I know you're afraid—."

"Yeah, I am afraid," Rin interrupted her. "Who wouldn't be if someone came up to them and said they were cursed? That doesn't mean I…I _believe_ in it. In this day and age, a curse is just…it's ridiculous."

"Some people would say that about mermaids," Tohru murmured.

An annoyed noise ripped from his throat.

"Scientifically, they can be proven, right?" he asked sharply.

"Technically," she admitted, though uncertainly. "But that would require DNA and genetics testing, as well as other procedures—."

"But we can see them and you've certainly touched them, so they're provable," he cut her off. "A curse isn't…isn't tangible. It's just…just coincidences that someone is trying to find a pattern in. Magic isn't real."

His voice rang with finality, closing the subject. His tense shoulders had risen up during his speech, hovering dangerously close to his ears. The tension continued down his spine, taut as a bowstring. Only the faint calls of seagulls broke the deafening silence.

Tohru pulled her bag onto her lap to unearth her tablet. She mumbled something that might have been an affirmative, but her heart was too saddened for anything more. Her tablet would have to distract her from the pain, which it did, as she opened her eReader. The book she had open was a novel that she had forgotten she had been reading.

A romance novel about mermen.

How appropriate.

***

" _Humans_!?"

Lady Miho's voice echoed in the confines of her home. Makoto winced, shrinking down a little behind Sousuke and Haru. His mate had just finished explaining what had transpired over the last couple of weeks or so, as well as that fateful storm last moon cycle. Neither part of the story pleased the sea witch, her face becoming more and more horrified the more Sousuke talked. Honestly, it was the longest Makoto had actually heard his mate speak in a long while, not since the twins had convinced him to tell them a bedtime story. Lady Miho, however, was not as enthralled as his siblings had been.

Her tail thrashed in the water and many objects around the small antechamber shook and wobbled dangerously. Her expression was thunderous and he wouldn't be surprised if the sky above mimicked her anger. If it did, he hoped that Tohru and Rin were safe. The lady began to pace, muttering under her breath and throwing terrifying glances their way. Her actions terrified Makoto, who could only think of the horrible things she could do to them. Haru and Sousuke, damn them, remained surprisingly placid in face of her wrath. The only giveaway to their own fear was Haru's flared gills and Sousuke's tense shoulders.

Lady Miho stopped abruptly, taking large gulps of water. A great sigh heaved from her lungs and she sagged forward. Her fingers carded agitatedly through her hair, fluffing the brunette tresses even more in the water current. When she faced them, she looked like she had a mane, appearing as dangerous as a lionfish. Her disapproving expression only heightened the danger lurking in the water. She crossed her arms with another sigh.

Makoto took the chance to plead with her. He had no idea if that would do any good, though. He shifted from behind his mate and clasped his hands together.

"I know what we did was, well, reckless, but—," he began.

The sea witch turned her disappointed gaze on him. He cringed back.

"Reckless doesn't begin to describe what you three did!" she exclaimed, throwing out a hand. A large clamshell went flying. "You could have been killed! Or worse—captured and dissected! What if they were scientists!?"

Makoto swallowed nervously.

"Well, um, technically…" he began, but Lady Miho's wrathful eyes killed his voice. He slunk back behind Sousuke.

"So they're scientists," she growled.

"No, only one is and she hasn't done anything to hurt us," Sousuke corrected boldly. "She's merely curious."

"And curiosity begets obsession," she grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"If anyone's obsessed, it's Makoto."

"Sousuke!" Makoto cried, pushing his mate.

"Please, Lady Miho," Haru spoke up before they could begin arguing. He took the forefront. "If I sing the curse for you, will you help?"

Lady Miho frowned, but her expression immediately changed when Haru mentioned singing. For some reason, it didn't match the anger from before. Anger still burned in her eyes, but the somber contemplation on her face subdued it. She nodded, waving for him to continue.

Immediately, Haru began to sing, but the notes weren't right. They clashed, discordant and cacophonous, sending chills down Makoto's spine. Anger poisoned the melody, pain the harmony. Each note was an arrow directed towards Rin and his family, the aim wild and dangerous. And the ricochets were hitting Tohru.

The song, if it could even be called a song, stung his chest and the orca merman pressed his face into Sousuke's shoulder. Every instinct told him to wail in distress as the song dug needles into his ears and dragged claws down his ribcage. His heart felt a thousand times too large and yet a hundred times too small and everything hurt, but also didn't. The wave of relief that filled him when Haru abruptly stopped almost brought him to the floor. Instead, he pushed his forehead against his mate's shoulder, finally letting a pained whine escape.

Sousuke brushed his hand against his tail as Lady Miho released a shaky breath. Cautiously, Makoto lifted his eyes to see the mermaid and almost wished he didn't. Her eyes were wide and a pallor blanched her cheeks. She brushed a shaking hand through her hair as she fluttered down onto a stool. She worriedly bit the nail of her thumb before speaking.

"Your human has a dangerous curse on him," she finally spoke. "A siren's curse. A blood curse, to be precise, which doesn't honestly matter besides that it's…it's bad."

"It's affecting the woman with him," Haru explained breathlessly.

He too sank down, leaning against one of the many shelves that lined the antechamber. His face showed exhaustion. That song must have taken a lot out of him, more than Makoto was aware.

Lady Miho clicked her tongue. "Well, that's worse than I imagined. It sounds old, as well."

"Tohru—ah, the woman said that Rin's—er, the man's father and grandfather died at sea," Makoto explained softly.

The sea witch watched him quietly before dropping her gaze. Her fingers brushed her mouth in thought, eyes staring at nothing. The water was still as she contemplated their words.

Technically, she didn't have to listen to them. She didn't have to allow their whims or help them. If she deemed Tohru and Rin too risky, she could let the curse take them. If that was the case, Makoto wasn't sure what he would do. The idea that Lady Miho _wouldn't_ help them had never crossed his mind. Even when Haru suggested her help, he had figured that she just…would. After all, she was the town's protector before them and she had always been there when they were children. But her silence and contemplation made him realize that she _didn't_ have to help. If she deemed it detrimental to the safety of the town, she wasn't going to help them at all.

Panic began to set in at that realization. Makoto clenched his teeth to keep from gnawing on his own lip. It was a bad habit from childhood and more than once he had ended up in this very house from ripping open his flesh. He settled for digging his fingers into his arm, trying to quell the tremors running through his muscles.

Abruptly, Lady Miho swum up and ran her fingers over the jars on the highest shelf. Her tail swished as she moved across it, muttering to herself. She nodded once before spinning around to face them.

"Very well, boys, I'll help," she said and Makoto gaped at her.

Sousuke's shoulders sagged in surprise.

"Really?" he asked incredulously.

"I can't very well let you boys try and break a siren's blood curse. That would be cruel and could harbor disastrous results," the sea witch sniffed indignantly. "Considering none of you exactly focused on your magical studies."

Admittedly, that was a low blow. The three of them had more focused on protecting the town and though magic could help with that, it was easier just to patrol and warn than it was to influence a diver away. Besides, Haru was the one with the most skills with magic, being a natural at it and all, and he much preferred patrolling to classes. Makoto and Sousuke had just gone along with his flow.

Haru huffed. "Too much effort."

"You're going to damn well use some effort with this, Haruka," Lady Miho snapped and Makoto hid behind Sousuke again at her sharp tone. "I'm going to need all of you to put out some effort. First and foremost, you're going to need to protect your humans. At least when they’re on the water, because no siren's curse would outright affect a human on land. Of course, there are lakes and rivers on land that could prove troubling, but I digress. Protect them whenever they come out to sea. Second, I'll need help collecting the ingredients to make the cure. It's a tricky concoction and certain ingredients are trickier to get. Third, you and your humans will have to be patient. It takes two moon cycles for the cure to be finished."

"Two moon cycles!?" Makoto exclaimed. "But—!"

"Curses are hard to break," the sea witch interrupted sharply. Her eyes flashed in gloom of her abode. "Easy to cast, but hard to break. You came to me, remember, and I'm being generous, given how…reckless you were for even talking to these humans."

He deflated at that. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Lady Miho," Sousuke said, bowing his head.

A smile broke through the annoyance on her face, though it was small and tired. She swam over to them and gently touched their heads.

"I try to be tough, but I've gotten softer in my old age," she remarked wistfully. "I couldn't refuse you boys."

"You're not old," Makoto mumbled, even though he had no idea how old the sea witch was exactly.

Her smile grew at that, but she didn't say anything in response. Instead, she moved over to Haru and gently patted his head as well. Bubbles spilled from his lips in a sigh.

Still gazing down at Haru, Lady Miho spoke. "All right, boys. You better go tell your humans about the cure."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

Rin had anchored the ship what might have been an hour ago. As soon as the boat had stopped moving, Tohru had kicked her friend out of the cabin so she could change. The atmosphere inside was insufferable, stuffy and full of tension that she just needed to escape. So she might have been clamoring to get off the ship and she might have been a little hasty getting into her gear that Rin hadn't even set up his stereo by the time she was checking her air tank, mouthpiece, and all the tubing connecting it together. She hadn’t even let him get out a complaint about her diving by herself as she had submerged herself in the seawater. Immediately, she had felt better.

That could have been hours ago, even though it was barely fifty minutes, and Tohru was heading steadily along the sea floor. Or, at least, twenty feet or so above it. The water was relatively quiet, the faintest noise of currents and fish feeding the only sounds that she could discern. And it was blue, everywhere she turned, just endlessly blue. In a way, the endless blue unnerved her a little, as if she was the only organism alive in this expansive space. Which was ridiculous a thought, as clearly she could identify a number of fish species around her. She could even see crabs on some rocks, so she wasn't _alone_ technically. She just didn't have another human around her.

Or even a merman.

Her mouth twisted at that thought, her heart sore as she steadily moved closer to the rock outcroppings. The water was colder the deeper she got and her shiver only reminded her of Rin's anger at the merman. As much as she wanted, she couldn't fault her best friend for his incredulity. As a scientist, she agreed: magic was implausible. To believe that magic, that something like a curse, could exist was a little silly. And yet, suspended in this endless blue, confronted with the knowledge of his family's deaths, with knowledge of things like mermen, Tohru couldn't deny that maybe, possibly, magic could exist. Curses could exist. In a place that was simultaneously ancient and ageless, someone could convince her that, yes, magic was real.

Maybe she was caught up in the scientific euphoria of discovering something as mythical and magical as mermen actually existed. Maybe she was letting the little girl inside her guide what she believed about these creatures. Maybe, deep down, she wanted everything they said to be real to fulfill some old desire of hers to be a mermaid. She wasn't sure, she didn't know. All she did know was that she had become emotionally involved with the mermen, wanting, needing them to be right about a ridiculous thing like a curse. Maybe she and Rin were already dead and this was some crazy illusion in purgatory or whatever afterlife. It seemed too good to be hell, but, well, maybe the other shoe hadn't dropped yet. Maybe she was just being pessimistic.

Shaking her head, she refocused her efforts on stingrays. Existential debates and queries could be fathomed later. She could be pessimistic later. Right now, she had more important things to do. So she moved a little more swiftly through the water, cataloging rock formations and schools of fish and the occasional scuttling crab. Her eyes trailed across the landscape, drawn to a large shape shuffling clouds of sand into the water. It hunkered down in front of a pair of rocks, disappearing under the sand.

She drifted closer to it. 

By far, that was the largest stingray she had seen here. Even covered in sand and nigh near invisible to everything above it, the faint slopes from where it hid itself were farther apart than any before. Tohru regretted not borrowing the underwater camera for this dive because she was sure she wouldn't see this creature again. She moved carefully around it, well enough away that it shouldn't be able to harm her, watching it in awe. How she would love to touch it, but Tohru knew better than to mess with a wild animal in the middle of a hunt.

She was so engrossed with the stingray that a faint clicking noise almost went unheard by hear. However, the oddity of the clicks made Tohru glance up, half-hoping for a pod of dolphins, half-hoping for something that was only half a dolphin. And half a shark. Neither was in her field of view, a depressing anecdote to her already down turning day. But when she turned, about to say goodbye to the magnificent creature under the sand, a surprised gasp bubbled from behind her mask.

Two sets of eyes blinked at her, one a green-blue, the other warm brown. The blue eyes belonged to what looked to be a girl just reaching adolescence, her face too soft to be anything older than eleven or twelve. Her companion was the same, except with the face of a pubescent boy. And, like the other merfolk that Tohru knew, each child had markings on their face in a familiar black. The girl's eyes brightened and she swum forward, scaring the stingray below.

Sand erupted into the water and Tohru floundered backwards, searching desperately through the murk. The mermaid screamed, which almost echoed painfully in her mind. Something jolted her foot and dragged it down, tugging furiously against Tohru's own strokes. It wasn't until the sand settled that she realized the thing tugging on her foot was the stingray.

Which had its sting stuck in her flipper.

The animal thrashed around, whipping its body back and forth as it tried to swim away. Tohru could barely fight against it and even then, she had dropped several feet in the water as the stingray tried to flee. Tried because the merboy had sped in front of it and was scrambling for a hold on the struggling sea creature.

"Ran!" he shouted and the mermaid joined him.

Together they managed to flip the stingray onto its back. Immediately, it stilled.

Tohru breathed shakily into her mouthpiece and twisted to work the sting out of her flipper. The barb was long, longer than her hand, and the backward facing spines dug into the plastic of her fins the more she tugged on the tail. She couldn't actually grab the barb since her gloves were barely thick enough to resist the stingray's denticles and the spines on the sting could probably tear through the fabric with ease. As it was, the ridges on the tail were digging into her hand and she could hardly ignore the faint mucous-like strands streaming from the hole in her flipper. Gritting her teeth, she yanked hard on the tail while jerking her foot up. With a crack, the barb broke off.

Tohru froze.

The stingray wiggled a little, but didn't react. Cautiously, Tohru moved away from the animal and the merfolk, still with a barb in her flipper. She supposed it was better that it had broken off, though she would much rather have it out of her fin. It made swimming awkward, of course, which was why she bent over to try to remove it again. As she did so, though, a wide-eyed face invaded her space. Tohru jerked backwards as the mermaid looked suspiciously at her.

"Are _you_ the human oniichan and Haru-chan were talking about?" she asked.

Tohru blinked slowly, taking that in. Did they know Haru? And who was "oniichan"? She nodded and then shrugged thinking better of it. She couldn't be sure this mermaid's Haru was her dolphin Haru.

"Ran~! Don't leave me like this!" the merboy cried. He was still holding the immobilized stingray. "C'mon, help me out!"

"Ren, don't be a baby! You can just flip it!" the mermaid, Ran apparently, called, rolling her eyes.

"But it's big!"

"Ugh! You're such a baby!" she shouted and spun around.

Her tail was black and white, a tall dorsal fin cutting through the water. A vaguely heart-shaped saddle mark sat under it as she sped over to help Ren(?). That explained who "oniichan" most likely was. Together, the two children flipped the stingray right side up, scattering when it whipped around.

Tohru herself hurried backwards as the animal sped through the water. Once it was gone, her shoulders dropped in relief. Her heartrate was finally slowing down, now that the immediate danger was gone. She glanced surreptitiously at the arguing children. She didn't know how safe they were, even if the mermaid might be Makoto's sister, and her oxygen gauge was dangerously low to stay under any longer. Being dragged by a large stingray certainly took a lot more oxygen that she realized. Keeping an eye on the two, she began her ascent. She wasn't surprised when the arguing followed her.

She had a strong sense of déjà vu, actually. 

When she broke through the surface of the water, Tohru spat out her mouthpiece and took multiple deep breaths of air. Her lungs hurt a little from keeping her screams and gasps inside. For a moment, everything seemed calm before the water before her rippled. Like the first time she met Makoto, Haru, and Sousuke, Ran rose in front of her with the mouthpiece in hand. She peered down at it curiously.

"Are you related to Makoto-san?" Tohru asked preemptively as Ren's head popped up next to her shoulder. "He's, uh, he's got an orca tail."

"That would our oniichan!" Ran chirped, lifting the mouthpiece to her eye. "This helps you breathe underwater?"

Tohru was impressed with how quickly she made that connection.

"Yeah, it's connected to my air tank, ah, the thing on my back and gives me oxygen to breathe," she explained.

"Oxygen?" Ren echoed in confusion.

She tilted her head towards him.

"Air," she said simply, raising a hand out of water to gesture around them. She pointed at Rin's boat. "Do you mind us going back to my boat? I need to get this barb out of my flipper."

"Does it hurt?" Ren asked worriedly. He leaned close to her. "I heard that stingray barbs hurt a lot!"

"Oh, no, it doesn't hurt," she assured him. "My flippers aren't…aren't actually part of me."

"They aren't?" he asked.

"Don't be a dummy, dummy. Humans have _feet_ , not flippers," Ran scoffed.

Ren's cheeks flared and he pouted at the mermaid. Tohru raised her hands.

"Let's get back to my boat before we start fighting, okay?" she asked.

She twisted and started a simple sidestroke to _The Shark_. Her new entourage followed, their splashes the only indications they even were following her. Thankfully, she wasn't as far away from the boat as she thought, maybe five minutes at most, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she gripped the ledge above the propeller. Her skin prickled at being so close to the thing that nearly killed her, but she needed to get onto the boat somehow. Reaching down, she unhooked her fins, throwing each onto the boat as she got them off her feet. The barb imbedded in her left flipper clattered against the deck. She followed as quickly as she could with a heavy metal container on her back.

As soon as she was safely on the deck, Rin appeared from the cabin. He looked impassive, but his expression broke when his eyes ran over her gear. The color quickly followed any attempt at staying calm.

"What. Is. _That_?" he asked in a shaking voice. His finger shook as he pointed to the barb.

"Stingray barb," Tohru answered, working on getting her gear off. She sighed when the tank clinked against the deck. "I might have…met some new friends and they scared a pretty big ray."

She shook out her hair, running a hand through it to fluff the wet locks. 

"New…friends?" Rin echoed.

"Us!"

Ran lifted herself onto the railing, smiling brightly. Her dark brunette hair fell over her shoulders and she waved jovially at Rin. Ren followed shortly after.

Rin held his head.

"Do you…Do you just _attract_ merpeople or is there just something about this area of water?" he pleaded wearily.

"…I don't know," Tohru admitted with a wince.

"You _are_ by our town," Ran supplied. "I'm Ran, by the way. And this baby is Ren. We're twins!"

"Are you really? I should have known!" the human woman gasped, leaning towards the young siblings. Rin made a groaning noise. "Now, I see it. There's a resemblance there. Oh, I'm Tohru, by the way, and this is Rin. He's my friend."

"Rin, Ran, and Ren!" Ran cried excitedly. "We match!"

Rin groaned again. "This can't be happening."

"You couldn't have believed that Makoto-san, Haru-san, and Sousuke were the _only_ mermen around, right?" Tohru asked over her shoulder.

"I meant the name thing, but you know what? That too," her friend sighed, rubbing his face. "Are these guys too gonna talk about fucking curses?"

"Language!" she cried. "They're children, Rin!"

He made a disgusted noise in his throat, but did allow himself to look repentant. As tough as he acted, he was a huge softy when it came to children. Mer-children were no different apparently.

"Curses?" Ren spoke up. "What do you mean curses?"

Tohru grimaced and looked up at the two young merfolk. Their happy expressions had morphed to worry, so similar to Makoto's that she wondered how she could question them not being related to him. However, before she could even fathom an answer for them, a much, much deeper voice boomed through the air.

“Curses that'll turn you two into seaweed if you don't explain _what in the seven seas you're doing here_."

Horror descended on the twins' faces like white paint. They twisted around to look over their shoulders.

"S-S-S-Sou-niichan!" they cried together before they yelped, "Oniichan!"

Tohru had excitedly perked up at the voice, recognizing Sousuke's baritone, but she lifted herself to her knees at her new friends' cry. Curiosity getting the better of her, she leaned between the twins and saw a rather irritated Sousuke and disbelieving Makoto in the water. Haru peeked out from behind the orca merman's shoulder.

She waved cheerfully at them despite everything.

"Your siblings are cute, Makoto-san," she greeted warmly. "Don't be mad at them."

Immediately, a conflicted expression painted his face. He grimaced up at her.

"Don't indulge them," Sousuke spoke up for him.

Haru snorted. Tohru assumed that meant that Sousuke was rather soft when it came to the twins himself. That little tidbit, if she could consider it a tidbit, made her smile even more than hearing Sousuke's voice had. She crossed her arms over the railing before resting her chin against them.

"Well, I suppose I could scold them, but they're been scared enough for today," she chirped.

She was really amazed at how much better she felt just hearing and seeing the older mermen, especially Makoto and Sousuke. She wondered what that could mean, but filed that away for a later introspection.

"I'm not going to actually turn them into seaweed," Sousuke retorted, moving closer to the boat. He narrowed his eyes at the space between Ran and Ren, but drifted lower in the water instead. "I don't know that curse."

"It's sounds like something a grandmother would threaten her grandkids with so they'll behave," Rin scoffed from somewhere behind Tohru.

Haru snorted again.

"Haru's grandmother threatened us with it," Makoto admitted sheepishly.

"…s-so you won't turn us into seaweed?" Ren asked fearfully. He was actually shivering. "We're s-sorry, oniichan!"

"We won't. Don't worry," Makoto soothed, though he took on a more serious expression. "However, you should realize that you could've mistaken another diver for Tohru. They're not the only humans who come out on the water."

"Tohru _is_ the only human who stupidly goes diving by herself," Rin remarked lowly.

She wasn't sure if she was supposed hear that, but she did and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. She glared over her shoulder, though she would admit she had been rather reckless lately with her diving. Part of that had been because her ever rising faith in the mermen, the faith that they would always be there. The other part, though, might have been a need to prove that she was okay. That the storm didn't scare her. That her dreams and nightmares of dark skies and darker waves didn't make her tremble in the morning before she could compose herself. That she could swim in the ocean, without fearing it would swallow her.

She was being very, very reckless in that regard. The stingray only a few minutes earlier exemplified that. Certainly, if she had been by herself, if Ran hadn't scared it, she might have been all right. She was cautious. But there were factors to consider, factors and variables and uncertainties, that Tohru hadn't let herself actually contemplate. She had been lucky for a while now, including that fall.

She sat back on her heels, letting that all sink in. She had been really lucky. Really, really lucky. How many times had Rin complained about her diving by herself? Too many. She rubbed her face, hoping that she wasn't actually feeling tremors in her palms. Too many times had she made Rin worry. Her fear, or rather the need to disprove that fear, had consumed her. The ocean didn't scare her. Really, she had just been like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Acting recklessly wasn't how you solved your fears.

A hand gently ruffled her hair. Her shoulders jumped up to her ears. Heat pooled in her cheeks, but she didn't dare look up at Rin.

"Why are you two here?" she heard Makoto ask.

"We wanted to find your humans," Ran boldly replied. "We found them!"

"Yes, you did," Rin agreed. He nudged the stingray barb with his shoe. "…but I wanna know the story about this barb."

"Barb?" Sousuke called up from the water. "What barb?"

The twins paled and whipped around to face them. They leaned farther over the railing, probably to show how sincere they were.

"I didn't see it!" Ran yelped. "I didn't know!"

"W-We helped stop it!" Ren added in a wail.

"It was really big!"

"And fast!"

Tohru held up her hands, hoping to calm them, but whatever the face was that Rin was making made their lips wobble. Her heart hurt at the sight.

"Rin, it's not a big deal," she murmured, nudging his leg.

"What. Barb?" Sousuke reiterated before the boat rocked.

The twins yelped in surprise. The barb clattered again, but didn't get very far, considering it still speared her left fin. Tohru glanced up to see Sousuke hanging from the side of the boat, much like he had the day previous. He was frowning, mostly in confusion, before his eyes zeroed in on the cartilage weapon. A strange, protective look descended on his face.

"Sousuke," Makoto plaintively called.

"Is that a stingray barb?" Sousuke asked instead of answering his mate.

The sound that Makoto's siblings made was positively heart wrenching. The kind of sound that wounded animals made when they didn't know what to do. A sense of protection filled Tohru’s chest and she shuffled around to face the older merman.

"Yes," she answered for them. "Don't blame the twins. I'm at fault too."

" _That's_ a stingray barb? It's huge!" Rin exclaimed in disbelief.

"It was a pretty big ray," she responded, shrugging. "It…took us by surprise."

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Sousuke demanded.

His voice actually sounded a little scary, rougher than usual with an edge that spelled danger. For some reason, the air felt faintly like static. It was also much colder than the hot morning sun should allow it to be. Looking up at the much larger merman, she finally noticed just how bright and feral his eyes looked.

For some reason, her heart started beating wildly. Adrenaline, because it could only be adrenaline with how her palms sweated and her heart rang, sang through her veins. She just didn't know _why_. Nevertheless, that didn't stop her from pressing close to Sousuke, bumping her knees as she hurried over to soothe him. Over his shoulders, she quickly cast her eyes around for Makoto and the adrenaline waned as the orca merman joined them. But even his nudging of Sousuke's hip didn't cool the teal fire in his eyes.

Her gloves caught on his skin when she placed her hands on his arms. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, which admittedly chilled her with the intensity she found there. Swallowing nervously, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his since she didn't know what else to do. Makoto had done something similar before and Sousuke had done it himself to her, so maybe, just maybe, this would help. She closed her eyes and breathed shakily, hoping.

His skin was cool against hers and wet. His breath hitched a little, just enough that he jostled her. Nevertheless, she kept their foreheads close. The only sounds she could hear were the splashing of waves and the faintest call of a seagull some ways off. The air crackled still, but it was warmer now and no longer felt like a great predator was nearby. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence and quiet, Sousuke sighed and leaned into her touch.

Abruptly, the tension disappeared.

Tohru almost sagged in relief, her adrenaline ebbing, but she caught herself and murmured, "I'm okay. It didn't hurt me."

The whale shark merman sighed again, more heavily this time.

"Just…Just stay safe for two lunar cycles, okay?" he grumbled.

She leaned away from him. "What?"

"We found a cure," Makoto called from the water.

She gasped. "R-Really?"

The boat rocked again as the orca merman pulled himself up next to Sousuke. Makoto smiled softly, but he looked drawn and tired. Worry immediately coiled in her stomach, a tight, tight ball that had her reaching out to touch his arm. He covered her hand with his, cool from water and yet also so very warm.

"Curses don't exist…" Rin grumbled, but he squatted next to her. "…but tell me more."

A smile broke out on Makoto's face and he began to tell them all about their meeting with the sea witch. Tohru held onto every word, her heart beating rapidly in excitement and apprehension.

There was a cure.

The curse could be broken.

And all because a few mermen decided to befriend them. Makoto's smile was contagious and Tohru felt the warmth of happiness and _hope_ bloom in her cheeks.

Faintly, in the background, Rin's stereo steadily played on…

_Beauty in the water_

_Angel on the beach_

_Ocean's daughter_

_I thought love was out of reach_

_'Till I got her,_

_Had I known it could come true_

_I would have wished in ninety-two_

_For a mermaid just like you_


End file.
